Otherworld 2: Naraku's revenge
by Otherworld's Resurrection
Summary: Naraku escapes the blood demon's fortress and joins up with a mage named Jodah, taking hostages from Otherworld and Demon world. War is on the horizon as suzaku and seiryuu fight for control. Princess Aara and Otherworld's protectors join the fight. Two great dragons go head to head. Death, Love and sadness who will prevail?
1. Chapter 1: Bindings

** Prologue**

Shido stood up after his feeder had fainted from blood loss, licking the blood from his lips. Without even a glance at the man, he walked out of the small room. The feeder's eyes opened the moment the door closed behind Shido. Part of him was unconscious, but other parts were very awake. His eyes turned red and filled with a seething hatred. It had taken almost all of Naraku's willpower to keep a few of the Demons inside of himself free during the fourteen long years he had been a feeder to Shido. He learned to put the enslaved part of his mind to the fore whenever Shido fed on him, keeping the small free part of himself safely hidden.

Now, it was time to make his move. Half of his plan was already in place. Ralf was now his! Ralf was a beautiful young male who loved life and was loved by all, especially Lido, Shido's daughter. Naraku began talking to Ralf in his dreams, soft whispers in his mind, like insubstantial mist, not remembered when awake, but still clinging inside. "If you join me, you will be able to live in the light." For months he had whispered in Ralf's mind and finally Ralf succumbed to the temptation. He gave himself over to Naraku.

That was the one power they didn't know about, the power that would set him free. He could bring a Demon into himself, combine it with the hundred already inside, capturing its essence, its very soul, and then recreate the Demon from a part of himself. He had done it with Kagura many years ago, and when she had been captured, he simply eliminated that part of himself in a cloud of dust. He could recreate her whenever he wanted using the essence that still lived inside of him. She was one of the Demons he kept protected from Shido's power. And there were still others that lived free in Otherworld. They were his eyes and ears. Naraku controlled them from inside his prison. He had to be careful never to let anyone see their backs, for all his parts had a large scar of their back. The mirror image of the one on his own back. It was shaped something like a spider and he had never been able to remove it. The scar was a remnant from when his human body had been burned alive.

The first part of his plan was already in motion. Ralf would accomplish two things: seduce and mate with Lido, and bring Tyrrl to him to become another part of himself. Tyrrl was very important to his plan. Since there were so few females, each male had a partner, whom they had been with since childhood. Even after they mated with a female, and it was the rare male that got that privilege, the partner was still very much a part of their life. Tyrrl was Shido's partner. More importantly, Tyrrl was one of Naraku's masters. He would bring Tyrrl into his power just like he had with Vos, Ralf's partner. Ralf had taken Vos to his chambers, and there, instead of making love to his partner, he bit deep into his jugular. He fed until Vos was almost dead, then gave him the choice: join us or die. Ralf could see the fear in his partner's eyes: death is not pleasant thought for a young Demon who expected to live for centuries. Vos chose life, then watched in horror as Naraku walked into the room. But it was too late and now Vos was just another piece of Naraku. He had two Blood Demons under his control! And when Tyrrl became a part of him, all of the Demons inside of his soul that were controlled by Tyrrl would be freed. He would have over half of his Demons freed. Once he got away from Shido, the rest of his Demons would be freed in a very short time since the biochemical in the Blood Demon's saliva that enslaved them needed to be renewed every few days.

Ralf brought Tyrrl into his chambers on the pretense of talking about Lido. Vos was waiting and so was Naraku, but he was hidden behind heavy drapes. Between the two Demons, they overpowered Tyrrl and Ralf buried his fangs in his neck while Vos held Tyrrl tight. When Tyrrl was barely conscious, he was given the same choice as Vos had been. Naraku appeared from behind the drapes and Tyrrl moaned. Naraku had deceived them, he had never been completely enslaved!

"Then take my life! I will not help you kill Shido!"

Naraku bent over the helpless Demon, whispering in his ear, "I don't want Shido's life. I only want freedom. And you are one of my masters. I swear I will not take Shido's life.

Tyrrl lay there, feeling his life ebb away. How could he believe this monster? But death was terrifying to him. He slowly nodded and Naraku covered him, absorbing him into his body. Then a part of Naraku separated and changed into Tyrrl's form. Tyrrl's true essence was lost among the myriad of Demons inside of Naraku.

That night Naraku sat in his tiny dark room, holding three crystal shards. He knew that Tyrrl had one shard, but the ones from Ralf and Vos were a pleasant surprise. As he sat there, his mind was far away, divided between two Demons. One half was with Ralf as he listened to Lido's sweet moans, as he mated with her for the first time. The other half was even sweeter. As Tyrrl, he listened to Shido begging for release as he brought the Blood Demon Lord to his peak over and over. Now Naraku just had to wait for the perfect time. He was in no hurry. He had not lied to Tyrrl. He would not kill Shido, although he very much wanted to. But not because he would be hunted, but because of the exquisite pain that Shido would feel when found out that his daughter's mate, Ralf, was only a part of himself. Now, it was time to plan revenge. On all of them! And he knew exactly how to do it! Yomi's plan of a war was too impersonal. Naraku's revenge would be very personal, because it would be on their valuable most and at the same time their most vulnerable asset: their children.

Read the companion piece: "One Day, One Night"

 **Chapter 1 - Bindings**

Aara lay there in the dark, her head on Vash's shoulder. She was worried, very worried. "Vash…" she whispered, not wishing to wake him if he was asleep, but wanting to talk to him.

"Ummm," came the reply. His green eyes opened and he kissed the top of her head.

"They were fighting again."

"They always fight."

"And always about the same thing. Ashara believes that she has less powerful males and she is jealous of Vara."

"This had been happening now for 16 years. Let Ashara bind a couple of powerful Demons and she'll get over it."

"It's not just that. The way she treats them! Bankotsu has been having nightmares again and she never comforts him. And Tasuki - he went into heat last week and she was so cruel to him; she acted like it was a bother for her to take care of his needs. And Sesshomaru is never in the Castle any more; he has gotten cold and distant again."

Vash looked at her, his eyes sincere, "When I mated with you, I expected to share you with six other males. Take their bindings back. I don't mind. I mean it."

Aara smiled at her mate, "This is why I love you so much, Vash. But I didn't give

them up, they were transferred - and I have no idea how to take them back. Thank the gods that Vara is loving and caring with her males. If Hiei or InuYasha were treated like Ashara treats hers, my heart would break."

"You miss them, don't you?"

"I miss caring for them. Tucking them in at night, making sure they are alright in the morning. I was expecting more from my children, I guess, but instead they grew up so fast; they were only children for a little more than a year. So I guess my males were more my children than I realized and now I see them being mistreated." Aara stopped, deep in thought. After a minute she continued, "I do miss Hiei. He was so special to me. I miss holding him. And InuYasha. He was so young when I took him. And Kurama. He had been with me for so many years, nearly my entire lifetime. Oh, yes, I miss them! And I wish they were still mine to care for, to love." Unbidden tears filled her eyes and she wept on Vash's shoulder.

He held her tightly as she wept. "Try to take them back. Let the twins get their own males."

She shook her head, "No, it would not be right. Vara is good to her males, and Ashara would never forgive me. And I would not try to take Sesshomaru; I never meant to take him in the first place and he should be free."

She again grew quiet with her thoughts and then asked, "Vash, was your brother jealous of you?"

"Yes. He was jealous of Rem, the woman that cared for us."

"My sisters are cold like Ashara is to their males. I am beginning to think that our race is a flawed race, that we are the rarity and they are the norm. And I fear that Ashara is like your brother. Even more flawed."

"Knives crashed our spaceships on a desolate planet when he was only a year old chronologically and seven years physically. He killed thousands of people and wanted to wipe out the entire race. Only Rem's sacrifice prevented that. Ashara is cold, but she is not a homicidal maniac. Believe me, she is nothing like Knives." "But there is something very wrong with her. Perhaps she isn't like Knives, or perhaps she just hasn't had the opportunity. I fear for her, and I fear more for her males. She is different..I know you sense it too. It's like she is full of anger at the whole world."

"Yes, I sense it," Vash admitted, "Knives had that feeling to him also. He hated everyone except me, and then when I refused to follow his path of destruction, he hated me more than anyone. We'll keep an eye on Ashara, but I refuse to believe that she is like Knives."

Vara followed her mother's example and checked on her three males every night and each morning. She left Kurama's side, the fox Demon sleeping peacefully, and walked to see Hiei. The little fire Demon was sleeping, but already getting tangled in the sheets. She struggled to pull the covers free without waking him. How did her mother manage this nightly without waking him? She always woke Hiei up! Finally, she got him freed and tucked the covers around him. She gently kissed his cheek and started to go to InuYasha. As she went into the hall, she heard Bankotsu muttering in his sleep. Another nightmare! Ashara would never go to him. She walked into his room and held him until he quieted into a peaceful sleep. How could her sister not go to him? What was wrong with her?

When she was sure that Bankotsu was sleeping quietly, Vara went to InuYasha. She slipped into his bed and into his arms, and he curled around her body. She always spent the night with one of them, never going to her own room. She did not like being with her sister, and her sister was always in their room. Ashara never slept with any of her males, just took care of their needs and left immediately. She gave them no warmth or comfort. No love! She felt sorry for them. Tasuki was so lost, all the love and warmth that he had received from her mother was gone. Bankotsu was having nightmares every night now. Sesshomaru was never around. He had returned to his habit of walking his own lands. Ashara could call him to her side whenever she wanted to, but she never did. It seemed as through she hated them.

Ashara could sense Bankotsu's nightmare. Not again! She burrowed deeper in the covers. She wished she could cut off her senses from them and not have to feel them. She had found the way to cut off her feelings from them, they could not sense her emotions as strongly anymore but she could not stop feeling their emotions. The bindings should just be one-way..the males forced to obey. You shouldn't be forced to feel what they were feeling. What a bother! Useless males! The two weakest were the most trouble! Suddenly, Bankotsu stopped dreaming. Her sister had comforted him. Good! Now she could get some sleep.

One day she would find powerful males and bind them. But even then she would still have two useless males bound to her. It wasn't fair that her sister had three good males while she only had Sesshomaru and he was never around any more. She felt Tasuki whimper in his sleep as if he understood her thoughts. Disgusted, she pulled the covers over her head and went to sleep. Damn useless males!

Several months ago, a little Demon servant was cleaning Ashara's room. Ashara ignored him as she did all the servants. This day, she was angry over her mother's latest criticism. Her mother was always complaining that she did not take care of her males properly! She was not going to fawn over them like her mother had. She had spoiled them rotten!

"They don't treat you right."

"What?" Ashara turned but the only other person in the room was the servant. "Did you say something to me?"

The servant turned, a small Demon about two feet high with orange skin, and bowed down before her. "I beg your forgiveness, but I can't help notice how they treat you. As if you didn't know what to do."

So it began. The little servant, named Rana, seemed to be assigned to her rooms and over time she began to tell him her woes: how mistreated and misunderstood she was, how worthless two of her males were, and Rana always listened and always agreed. Months passed and Ashara now depended on Rana's friendship. He was the only one who did not argue with her or tell her she was wrong. He understood! If only he would tall and handsome, not just a low class Demon. One day she expressed that very thought and he smiled. "I have a secret, but you must swear never to tell anyone. I would not survive the telling."

Ashara promised faithfully never to divulge their secret. "I am only a part of a powerful Demon, a beautiful Demon. And if you have patience, my true self will come to you and we will be together."

"How can I believe that? More lies! Everyone tells me lies!" Ashara lamented.

To her surprise, Rana removed his shirt and turned his back to her. Across his back was a scar shaped like a spider. Then he put his shirt back on. "Ask Lord Shido is he has ever seen a scar like this one before, but do not say that you have seen such a scar. Make the question vague. When you have his answer, I will come to you again."

Ashara watched the small Demon leave and then at the very next opportunity, she asked Shido if he knew anyone that had a terrible scar on his back. His answer surprised her and she sent for Rana.

"I received an answer from Shido."

"Yes, my Lady, and did it satisfy you?"

"You are a part of Naraku? Is that what you are? Lord Shido says that the only one

with a large scar on his back is Naraku and it is shaped like a spider."

"Yes, I am only an extension of him. All his parts have the same scar."

"So there are others?"

"Yes, many."

She sat there pondering this information. Naraku was possibly the most powerful Demon alive. And his beauty was well known. With him at her side, she would be so powerful no one would ever tell her what to do again!

"Can you get free from Shido."

"I am free already. I was just waiting."

"For what?"

"For you, My Princess, for you."

Hiei was going through the gardens when Aara saw him and beckoned him closer. He went near to where she sat and stood there with his head down, not meeting her eyes. "Hiei, I never see you anymore. Are you avoiding me?"

The fire Demon blushed. "Princess…I…I.." he didn't know what to tell her. He belonged to another now and he could not tell her how he felt. She reached for him and pulled him close.

"Hiei, I still care for you, don't you realize that?"

He stared at her, as if surprised by her words, then suddenly wrapped his arms around her and put his head on her shoulder. Tears began to fall.

"Oh, My Sweetness!" Aara asked and Hiei sobbed louder when he heard her nickname for him it had been so long! "Tell me, Love, what is wrong?"

Hiei brushed the tears from his eyes, but didn't raise his head from her shoulder. "I miss you so much. Even though I am bound to Vara, my feelings for you have never changed. I love you."

She pulled him from her shoulder to look deep into his eyes. "How can you still love me? Have you felt this way for 16 years?"

"Not at the beginning, when you were pregnant and then after the twins were born, my feelings were muted. Being near you was enough. But as time passed, you no longer felt maternal and my feelings returned. Forgive me, Princess, I didn't mean to say anything."

"You should have said something long ago." Vara said as she walked to them.

Hiei turned to Vara and went to his knees before her, "Forgive me, Princess."

She pulled him up and gently pushed him into her mother's arms. "This is where you belong. Mother, I think they all belong with you. Take back their bindings. I have been thinking about this very thing lately and I have decided that I want to bind males of my own."

Aara looked at Hiei. "How can I take back the binding?"

"I think that if he desires it and I give him freely, you can bind him to yourself again. Try and see what happens." Vara offered.

"But Vash…"

"I said I would understand and I meant it," Vash said as he approached the group. "They need you and you need them. If the binding works with Hiei, then take InuYasha and Kurama. But I'm not sure that Ashara will give her males freely. Even though she doesn't really want them, I don't think she wants you to have them either."

Aara looked at her mate, loving him more than ever at this very moment. "Thank you, Vash." she said aloud, and thought to him, "I love you so much. I am always grateful that you are part of my life."

She then looked into Hiei's eyes, "Give yourself to me." He nodded and she used her power. The bindings she once had suddenly flared and renewed and the bindings to Vara fell away. In a moment's time Hiei was hers once more. It was so easy because all of those involved wanted it so much.

"I will talk to Kurama and InuYasha and then send them to you." Vara said, turning to leave.

"It must be their choice, Vara." Aara called after her. She was still holding Hiei tightly, his head contently resting on her shoulder. It felt so right! Perhaps this is the way it was supposed to be, the transference only temporary while the twins were young and vulnerable, then the bindings would revert back to Aara and the girls would take their own males. But since that had never occurred to anyone, Aara never even tried to take the bindings back.

InuYasha suddenly bounded into the garden, happiness written all over his face. He knelt at her side and pressed against her, "Thank you! Thank you for wanting me back." She realized with a pang of guilt that it had been a long time since she had seen him this happy. Hiei moved out of her arms voluntarily, letting InuYasha take his turn. The rebinding was just as easy with him. Kurama was the last and he walked slowly to her, his face unreadable. "Princess."

"Kurama, this has to be your choice. You were taken by force and never had a choice, but you have one now. I might be able to break the binding and set you free. I will try if you wish me to. Or you can stay with Vara." Aara said to her first male.

"This is my home and I have no desire to be free of it. Plus we have been together for over a century and a half. Bind me to you once again. It is what I want."

With that, her first three males came back to her. She opened her arms to them all, feeling more content than she had in a long time. She looked into Vash's eyes and he smiled. He too could feel her happiness and it gave him pleasure. He never had a problem with sharing his mate with her males.

Rana snuck into Ashara's room and told her the news. When Ashara heard that her mother had taken Vara's three males for herself, she went ashen. Her mother could take her males at a whim and leave her with nothing! "Does Naraku hear my words through you"?

"Yes, Princess. And my voice is his."

"What shall I do?"

"The time for planning is at an end. I will leave my captors tonight, and you must do the same. Are your males here with you in the Castle?"

"Only Tasuki is here. Bankotsu is about two days away and Sesshomaru is in his own lands."

"Leave now and take Tasuki with you. He is an important key in my plan for us. Call Bankotsu and Sesshomaru to you. Travel north and take Rana with you. I will meet you on the way. Do not tell your males anything about me."

"I will leave immediately. Go tell Tasuki to come to me and then have three horses saddled." She began to throw clothes into a travel case. A few minutes later Tasuki appeared.

"We need to go immediately to Suzaku. I will explain on the way." She put on her cloak and handed the case to Tasuki. They dashed down the stairs and out to where Rana stood with the horses. They were gone before anyone realized it.


	2. Chapter 2:Pillow talk

**Chapter 2 - Pillow Talk**

Hiei was in his beloved Princess' arms, afraid to go to sleep. His head was in the crook of her neck and he was buried in the warmth of her body. His eyes kept closing and he kept forcing them open.

"Hiei, what is wrong? You are half asleep yet you will not let yourself relax."

He didn't say anything, just snuggled deeper. Aara pulled his face away from her to look deep into his garnet eyes. "Answer me."

"You were with me first tonight and when I fall asleep you will leave me, and I don't want you to leave." He confessed.

"I was not planning to leave until morning, Love."

He looked at her, surprise written on his face, "You are staying with me all night?"

"Well, for now, I can spend more time with each of you. When I take back the rest, I will not be able to and it will go back to as before."

Hiei snuggled back into his sleeping position; head tucked into the curve of her neck, arms wrapped around her, sighing with relief, "I love you so much!"

"I feel guilty about leaving you for so long when I didn't have to. I ignored my own feelings. I felt that after I found Vash, I should not have more than him. I hurt you because of it."

"No, it is not your fault. We didn't say anything either. We just accepted our lot. Don't feel guilty, please don't feel anything other than happiness." then he muttered something else.

"What was the last?"

"I cannot believe that Vash is so understanding. I would not be in his place."

"He is very special," she said, running her fingers through the peaks of his hair. "Very special indeed."

Kenshin and Kaoru were in bed, talking over the day's events, as was their wont. And tonight's subject was Toyna. He was once more in Kaede's Village, once more following their daughter around, and their daughter seemed totally oblivious of his feelings. After living in Otherworld for almost seventeen years, they were used to Demons and a Demon in love with their daughter was no longer a concern. Besides Toyna was the son of Yukina, the ice maiden turned healer, and her mate, Touya, one of the Protectors of Otherworld.

Toyna had known Kenru almost all his life, but never paid much attention to her until a year ago when his hormones kicked in. Ever since then he spent as much time as he could in the Village, always following their daughter around. Kenru was a complete tomboy, learning swordplay from both her mother and then her father. Kenshin had sworn he was not going to teach anyone his method of sword fighting, but that vow was made before he had a daughter. Kenru could talk her father into anything. She ran poor Toyna ragged trying to keep up with her. Kenshin fondly remembered what a sweet, quiet baby she had been. What a difference!

Across the road, in the guest bedroom of Kagome and Kouga, Toyna restlessly tossed back and forth. He could not sleep. Would Kenru ever realize that he was in love with her? Would she ever feel anything at all for him? Thoughts like these plagued the young man and made sleep impossible. He ran his fingers through his long dark blue hair. Maybe she didn't like his blue hair? He groaned and threw the covers over his head. In the main bedroom, Kouga listened to their guest toss and turn. Sometimes having a wolf's hearing was not a good thing. Kagome looked at her mate and he told her that Toyna was tossing and turning again. Kagome gave a small laugh. Toyna reminded her of Kouga when he was courting her, wearing his heart on his sleeve.

She only hoped that he would end up as happy as she and Kouga were. For over 19 years they had been happily mated. She loved her wolf even more now than when she had married him. He was watching her, trying to read her thoughts, with those wonderful blue ovals he had for eyes.

"I was just thinking of poor Toyna. Does Kenru even realize that he is in love with her?"

"Probably not." Kouga replied, then wryly added, "At least he is interested in someone."

He was, of course, referring to his own son, Kome, who had yet to show interest in any female. Kome was almost an exact replica of his father. It didn't help that Kome insisted on wearing the almost exactly the same outfit as his father. Kome idolized his father and did everything that Kouga did. More than anything he wanted crystal shards to be able to run as fast as Kouga could.

"Remember that you were 126 years old when you mated with me. Kome is only 16," she reminded him.

"I guess I just want him to be happy. I was alone for so many years."

"Give him time. He will find just the right person." She smiled at her mate, "Just like you did."

"Yes, I did!" Kouga said as he took her into his arms, "And I am grateful for that every single day!" Nineteen years had bred a deep familiarity and they both knew exactly where to touch the other. Kouga was soon growling deep inside his throat, which made certain parts of him vibrate. Kagome had long since learned that having him growl was very exciting indeed.

Rin and Mirago grew up alike in temperament, even though they were not biological sisters. Both of them had followed Miroku's path and had become healers. They had started at an early age apprenticing under Kaede and in a just couple of days, they would go to the Castle to apprentice under the great healer mage, Kaiba. It was very late at night and they were quietly talking in their shared bedroom about the upcoming trip. It was exciting and frightening at the same time. Neither had ever been away from their parents and Mirago had visited the Castle only a couple of times. Rin had lived in the Castle for a few months when she was young and Mirago pumped her sister for information. "Tell me about the mages." she begged.

"When they walk into the room, you can feel their power. You feel a tingle down your spine. Kaiba is very nice and he is the one we will be studying under."

"No, I mean, what do they look like?"

"Oh, Kaiba is tall with long dark purple hair and sky blue eyes. He is young looking, but that means nothing. I don't know how old he really is. He wears purple robes and carries a staff."

"What about Bakura and Suzuki?"

"Well, Suzuki is Bakura's apprentice and he has changed a lot since I met him when I was a child. He has let his hair grow long and now wears mage's robes. Suzuki is blond and very handsome."

"And Bakura?" Mirago asked, "Tell me everything you know about Bakura."

"Bakura is very powerful. He is possibly the most powerful mage there is. I don't think anyone knows anything about him, maybe Princess Aara does, but she keeps his secrets, if secrets there are to keep. Bakura took away the curse on our father's air void, but you know this. Bakura almost died to save him."

"What does he look like?"

"Bakura has been described as frightening to look at, but he never frightened me. He was always kind to me. I think he is very shy, he doesn't like to be among people, but Princess Aara forces him to join the dinners and outings."

"Looks?"

"Oh, sorry. Bakura is blue skinned with long black hair. He has dark Demon markings on his face. I've never seen anything else of him because his armor covers everything. He wears black armor instead of a robe and is very tall and very thin. His eyes are the worst; they are red with yellow where our whites are. That's all I know about Bakura. Now, we need to get some sleep. The day after tomorrow we start on our journey and I would like to be rested before we start." Rin turned over and went to sleep while Mirago pondered her sister's words. She didn't know why but the Demon mage had always fascinated her.

The next night was Kurama's turn and Aara lay wrapped in his arms. She still couldn't believe that she had them back. And in a couple of days, when Ashara returned, she would take back Tasuki and Bankotsu. Whether or not her daughter wanted it! Ashara would no longer mistreat them!

"Remember when you could turn into a fox?" She asked Kurama, "I loved running my hands through your soft fur. I wish you could still change into that form."

"And it would drive me nearly insane. You have no idea what it feels like to have your fur stroked like that!" he exclaimed, but he smiled at the memory of her fingers and what they did to him.

"Well, I can pretend you have fur," she teased, playing with his long red hair. Then she reached below and entangled her fingers into the hair there.

"No! Don't!" he exclaimed, abruptly pulling away her hand and turning over.

"What happened? Did I hurt you?"

"No," he whispered, "Karasu touched me like that. He loved my hair…" his voice broke.

"I am so sorry!" she said, "I did not realize it still bothered you. You hide your emotions so well and you never need to hide them with me. You know that, don't you?" Even though she was an empath, Aara did not believe in violating someone's personal space unless she asked permission or it was an emergency.

"Yes, I know." Kurama answered, and after a few moments, continued, "Karasu violated more than my body, that was nothing! He violated my boundaries. When Arina's males took me to you, it was still my fault. I invited Kaleffe to my den, but Karasu. I hated even being near him and he knew it. When he saw I had no control over myself, he still did what he wanted to with me." His voice grew bitter. "I hated him for that. And I'm glad I killed him!"

He was trembling with all the pent up feelings. Aara turned him back to face her and cradled him in her arms. "Oh, my poor fox!" she crooned to him. She could feel the tears falling. She held him tight while he silently cried in her arms.

About a day's journey from Kaede's Village, two other childhood friends were camped out in a clearing in the forest. Kome and Souten could always be found together. Kome was a bit jealous of Souten since he had recently been given fire wheels like those of his father and could now fly. Of course, it wasn't up to Kouga to give him crystal shards. Kurama, the head of Protectors, controlled the shards. If he could do something spectacular, some brave deed, maybe he could get a pair of shards for his legs. It was embarrassing to be carried by Souten all over the place. With shards, he could run as fast as his friend flew. Souten was the more mature of the two, but tales of his antics when he was a baby were still a favorite topic of discussion. He must have been terrible as a baby. Getting into everything! He always blushed deep red when his mother started one of her tales, because inevitably his constant nursing would be brought up. But Souten loved hearing about how his parents met. His father had actually kidnapped his mother and they had fallen in love. He thought it was very romantic. Kome also liked hearing tales of his father and his pursuit of his mother, and the way they still looked at each other. He only hoped he could find someone to love like that. Tomorrow they would head home. Maybe something exciting would happen on their way...

Sango was very sad. Tomorrow she would lose both of her daughters for years as they apprenticed to Kaiba. She knew that it was a great honor to be chosen by Kaiba, but she would miss them terribly. She never expected this life for them. She wanted them to mate and be happy, not spend their lives in the care of others. Miroku reminded her that both Rin and Mirago could mate and continue to heal. Who knows, maybe two handsome young men would appear at the Castle's gates and fall in love with their daughters, and perhaps, Miroku suggested, it was time to have a second child?

InuYasha was so happy his felt like his heart would burst. His Princess, his beloved Princess, was back with him. Just like before! She had brushed his long hair like she used to, she touched that special place on his ears, and she told him that he was beautiful. Even though it made him blush and he knew he was not beautiful, it made him happy to think that she thought he was. As kind as Vara had been to him, she did not do the special things that his Princess did. He was too excited to sleep and bounded out to his balcony. The night was alive with the call of owls, insects serenading in the dark, and frogs singing in the streams below. Aara came out to the balcony after him and stood there looking at him, his body gleaming silver in the moonlight. She went close to him and lifted her face to his for a deep kiss. "InuYasha." she whispered, "I missed you."

He wrapped her tightly in his arms, covering her face with tiny kisses, then suddenly swept her in his strong arms and took her back to his bed. Life was perfect!


	3. Chapter 3:Keiki

**Chapter 3 - Keiki**

Kome refused to be carried so both he and Souten were trampling through the underbrush. Souten was not happy since he could fly above it and was getting scratched by the thorny brush for no other reason than Kome's stubbornness. Suddenly they heard something crashing through the brush about a half mile ahead of them and as one they ran toward the sound.

They could see something white lying on the ground but there were too many bushes and trees to make out what it was. They pushed their way through the overgrowth and emerged in a small clearing. On the farthest edge lay a white horse with his back towards them. They could see that his back leg was broken and bleeding badly. Kome went to the front of the horse while Souten went to look at the leg. Kome suddenly stopped, "Souten," he said softly, pointing to the horse's head. From the middle of his forehead was a pronged horn. It was a unicorn. A creature so rare that they were thought to be extinct. Demons had long hunted the unicorns, killing any they found, for a unicorn's horn could pierce through any Demon armor and kill it.

The unicorn looked at the two Demons with defiance. If he were to meet his end here, then he would do so bravely. Kome knelt by the creature's head and held out his open hands, "We mean you no harm. We are Protectors of Otherworld and we will not hurt you. Can we look at your leg?"

The deep blue eyes of the unicorn stared into Kome's eyes and then into Souten's. He nodded slowly. They gently checked out the wounded leg. It was badly broken; the bone had pierced the skin and caused a lot of damage. There was not much they could do, so Souten took to the air to bring help from the Village while Kome guarded the unicorn.

Souten quickly found the main road between the Village and the Castle and sped along it. He had traveled only about an hour when he encountered Miroku and Kenshin with Miroku's daughters. Healer daughters! He landed in front of them and told them the news. A unicorn! Miroku was very excited and told Hiten to carry Rin, the more experienced of the two, to the unicorn and they would follow after. Souten gave them the directions and said he would return as soon as he left Rin with Kome and the unicorn. Then he picked her up and swiftly flew away.

Kome sat next to the unicorn feeling very helpless. The unicorn's eyes were now

glazed from pain and the bleeding refused to stop. Kome wished there was something he could do and made a mental note to at least learn something about healing when he returned home. Suddenly he sensed the arrival of Souten. The young Thunder Demon arrived with Rin in his arms. Souten put her down and flew off to guide Kenshin, Miroku and Mirago.

Once on the ground, Rin immediately went to the unicorn. He was so beautiful, pure white with a long full mane and a long flowing tail. His blue eyes were full of depth. She touched his muzzle gently. "I cannot help you in this form. Can you change?"

The unicorn looked at her, then nodded, and closed his eyes. The creature began to shimmer, soft golden light poured from it as its body began to change. It gave a sharp neigh of pain than turned into a scream. A man's scream. Where once lay a unicorn, now there was a pale man. In the middle of his forehead was a glowing circle of light where the horn had been. It began to fade and within moments it was gone. He was dressed in black trousers and a long tunic, the right trouser leg torn and bloody. She sent Kome to get branches to build a fire. She pulled a small cauldron from her pack and poured clear water into it from a flask. When the fire was built, she would heat the water and put herbs into it to make a poultice. She had to set the bones and make a splint but she needed Kome's strength for that.

When Kome returned, they pulled the leg straight and then set it. The man fainted from the pain, Rin was grateful for that. He had been through so much already. She heated the water to make her poultice while Kome when to get straight branches for a splint. By the time they finished putting on the poultice and the splint, the group had arrived. Miroku was disappointed that the unicorn was in man shape and no longer looked like the mythical creature. Kenshin cut down larger branches with his sword to make a stretcher to carry the unicorn. They would take him immediately to the Castle; this creature was too valuable to take any chances with. But it was getting dark so they settled in for the night, setting two guards to watch at all times. They weren't sure if the unicorn had been attacked or had just fallen, but they didn't want to take any chances.

Rin stayed by his side through the night. She infused other herbs into the water and gently laid a warm cloth with the infusion on his forehead. He was so magical. It felt good just to be near him. Mirago relieved her so she could get some rest, but she slept only for a couple of hours. She wanted to be at his side in case he woke. But he slept soundly through the night. In the morning, they placed him on the

stretcher, which they had covered in soft grasses. The men took turns carrying the man. Souten flew directly overhead to keep a lookout.

They walked the rest of the day and at dusk; the Castle's towers could finally be seen. Souten was torn between rushing off to the Castle to get help and staying to guard their treasure. He opted for staying. Two hours later, they reached the Castle's gates. When they heard about the unicorn, everyone rushed out to help. Princess Aara guided them to a bedroom close to her own and they carefully put him to bed, drawing the warm covers around him. Kaiba came down to see the man and, after examining the splint and the poultice, commended Rin on her excellent work. She blushed at the compliment.

"A unicorn! I didn't know any still existed!" Kurama exclaimed, looking at the sleeping man. "They have long been hunted by Demons. I wonder if he is alone or there is more of his kind."

"Let's leave him to rest. Kaiba will watch over him tonight." Aara said as she ushered everyone but Kaiba out of the room.

Aara went to her room to undress and put on her sleeping gown, kissing Vash when he entered the room to get ready for bed. "I'll be back shortly," she promised. "I just want to check on them." Then she went to Kurama's new room. Since she rebound them, she had changed their rooms to her wing of the Castle and things were still strewn all over. She carefully walked through the clutter to his bed. Kurama was sleeping quietly. She straightened his covers and kissed his forehead. Then she went to check on Hiei and InuYasha. For once Hiei was not in a tangled ball, but sleeping quietly and still covered. InuYasha was also sleeping peacefully and she stood there watching him, his silver hair shining in the moonlight. She had missed them so much! And she still had Vash! She quietly closed InuYasha's door, stopped to check in on their guest, Kaiba nodded that he was okay and then went to her own room where Vash waited. Once again the golden light flowed from their bodies as they made love. They had learned how to control the glow many years ago, but tonight her happiness flowed out and lit up their room.

Before first light, Rin went to the unicorn's room. Kaiba asked that she send for him when the man awoke so they could change his bandages and put on a more stable splint made of metal. Then he left the man to her care and went to his tower to sleep.

He was so beautiful! As both a man and a unicorn. His long hair was blond, but so pale it was almost white and his skin seemed like pure alabaster it was so fair. And those eyes! A person could easily drown in those blue eyes. Rin took his hand, tracing his long, slender fingers.

She was still holding his hand when he woke an hour later and she quickly let go, blushing. He smiled at her. "Lady, I thank you for all you have done for me. Where did you take me?"

"To the Castle in Otherworld. The home of Princess Aara, the Protector of Otherworld. Have you heard of it?"

"Yes, I have."

She rang the bell pull to send for Kaiba. "Are you thirsty?" He nodded and she gave him cool water to drink. "I am Rin. May I ask your name?"

"My name is Keiki."

Kaiba entered the room at that moment and Rin introduced the healer mage to Keiki. Together they changed his bandages and put on a metal splint. His leg was healing well, but it would take a long time for the badly broken bones to knit. Kaiba sent for some soup for him. Keiki quietly told them that he ate only plants, no meat. A broth was made from vegetables and tofu and brought to him. Rin put pillows behind Keiki to prop him up so that he could eat. While he was eating, visitors began to come into the room. The first was the Princess and Kurama.

Keiki could sense that the woman was neither human nor Demon but something else. But he also sensed the goodness in her. The human with her was not truly a human but a Demon in a human's body. Keiki's senses were far greater than even a Demon's. Princess Aara asked both Kaiba and Rin to leave them alone with Keiki.

"As you know I am the Protector of Otherworld," Aara began, "and Kurama is the head of the Protectors and my first male. We want you to know that no harm will befall you while you are here in this Castle. And we wish to offer you and any of your kind a permanent home here."

"Thank you, Princess. For a unicorn, the world is perilous. It will be nice to have a safe haven while I heal."

"Are there others of your kind? Other unicorns?" Kurama asked.

Keiki looked at the Demon turned human and answered cautiously, "Please understand that we have been hunted since time began by Demons. You want to put us in an enclosed area under the control of Demons. You are asking a lot of us. I doubt that the others would be willing to take that chance."

"We want to protect you. That is what our entire lives are dedicated to, protecting those in need." Aara added. "Is there a way that a messenger could be sent to your people? I can send it by a human; Kenshin and Miroku would gladly go for you. You met them. Rin is Miroku's daughter."

"Yes, I know who you mean." Keiki remained silent for a minute, and then said, "I need more time to get to know you. Not you, Princess, but the Demons around you."

"I can open their feelings to you with my power. Would that help?" Aara asked.

"I can sense their feelings also and that is the only reason I am even entertaining the idea at all. My power is nothing like yours, but it is enough to know their hearts."

"As you wish. But I insist that you stay here until you are healed and can travel on that leg. And right now, you need rest." She stood up to leave him, "Please know that we truly want to help you."

He nodded and settled into the pillows, soon falling fast asleep. Rin returned when the Princess left and she sat there all day watching him sleep.

Kome and Souten each received summons from Kurama. Souten also received a separate summons from Princess Vara to meet with her this evening. They were both very nervous as they went to the study to see Kurama. Had they done something wrong in bringing the unicorn here? The fox Demon looked up and motioned them to chairs. "I have heard some very good things about you both." Both of the boys relaxed visibly.

"Souten, Hiten has given you fire wheels?" Kurama asked. Souten nodded. "And Kome, you are helping Kouga patrol the borders?" Another nod.

Kurama continued, "And yesterday you saved a unicorn, guarding him with your life and going for help. I have heard nothing but good things about you both, and because of those reports, these are for you." He took out two small velvet boxes from his pocket and slid one to each boy. They opened the boxes and almost jumped for joy when they saw the contents. Inside each box were two crystal shards. "Put them on. You've earned them."

Souten put his on his forehead like his father wore his, and Kouga put one on each shin. Now he could run as fast as his father! They thanked Kurama profusely and turned to leave. Suddenly, Kome felt a strange pull. He looked at Kurama. "I feel weird, but I'm not sure why." He sat down heavily and Kurama went to the young Demon. It was obviously a reaction to the shards but why? No one else had reacted negatively before, all the shards did was augment your own power. Kurama suddenly had an idea. He took Souten aside and whispered instructions to the Demon. Souten nodded and left the room. After a few minutes, Kurama asked Kome to tell him where Souten was.

"How can I do that?" he asked, and then suddenly he sensed two shards! They were in the library to the west. He pointed in that direction and Kurama nodded. He went to the door and called Souten back.

"I forgot the other power of the shards. They can bring our any latent powers you might have. It seems that you have inherited your mother's power, you can sense the shards. You are now absolutely invaluable to us!"

Later that afternoon, Souten went to his meeting with Princess Vara, which was in her new room. She had decided that she no longer wanted to share a room with Ashara, and moved to a room in the East wing of the Castle. The Castle was shaped like a square with a courtyard in the middle. The mages' towers rose from the North and South wings at the corners. Her mother now lived in the North wing, leaving the South wing to Ashara, while Yukina and Toya lived in the West wing. Souten knocked on the door and walked in when Vara answered. The young Princess was sitting in a comfortable chair in front of the fireplace. She motioned to a chair across from her and Souten sat in it.

"Congratulations on receiving your shards." she began. Souten thanked her, and then sat there waiting. Perhaps she had a mission for him. Now that he was a full-fledged Protector with shards of his own, he could probably expect things like this all the time.

"I believe you heard that I have returned my males to my mother. I have decided to bind powerful males in their place. I need very powerful ones; they will be needed, although I cannot yet tell what the need will be."

Souten leaned forward, unable to keep a smile off his face. He was going to be sent to bring a Demon to her. Maybe he would get to go into Demon World! He wondered if Kome could go with him.

"I would like you to be my first male."

He almost fell off the chair. What? She wants to bind me?

"You are a Thunder Demon and a very powerful one at that. Hiten says that your powers surpass his own when he was your age."

His father never told him that! He didn't know what to say. Was she telling him that she was going to bind him or was she giving him a choice? Did he want to become one of her males? Her first male! He would be the equivalent of Kurama. A million thoughts rushed through his mind.

"Please think about it and let me know. I will not force anyone to me. Any male that I bind will give himself freely."

Souten stood and bowed to her, "You honor me and I will give it much thought." Then he turned and left her room. And almost ran to the room he shared with Kome. He breathlessly told Kome what had just transpired. Kome was equally amazed by the turn of events. What a day this had become! He now had the power to sense the shards and Souten could become first male to Princess Vara. Neither boy got much sleep that night. Souten wished his father was here so he could ask his advice. He had no feelings for the Princess but he knew that the binding would take care of that. Once bound, he would belong to the Princess heart and soul. He was torn between wanting to be Princess Vara's first male and being free.


	4. Chapter 4: The plan

**Chapter 4 - The Plan**

As soon as Ashara left the Castle, Naraku detached the main part of his mind from Rana and summoned Ralf and Vos to him. It was time to leave the Fortress and put the next part of his plan of revenge in motion. Ashara was on her way to meet him and he needed to get to her quickly. He sent Tyrrl to Shido and brought Shido back to Tyrrl's rooms. Then he sat there waiting with Ralf and Vos sitting at his feet. Soon! Shido was lying there, sleepy and content. Already Tyrrl had taken him twice and now he was being aroused for a third time. A small part of his mind wondered why Tyrrl had been so insistent on this, but mostly he just lay there enjoying the wonderful feelings that his partner created. Shido heard the door open and drowsily turned his head to see who had entered.

Ralf and Vos took places on either side of him. What were they doing here? His mind struggled to come out of its euphoric stupor, when suddenly he felt indescribable pain. Tyrrl had bit him! And he was feeding on him! Vos and Ralf were holding him tight, keeping him down pressed to the bed.

Shido groaned in pain; since he was immune to Blood Demon saliva, the painkiller in Tyrrl's bite did not go into effect. Another person walked into the dark room: Naraku! What was he doing here? Naraku sat next to the Demon lord and caressed his face with long sensuous fingers. "How does it feel, Lord Shido? How does it feel to have your blood drained from there, from the most tender and private part of you?" Naraku whispered. Shido began to get dizzy from the blood loss. So the Demon had not been enslaved after all! And this was his revenge! But why were his friends...and his partner helping Naraku?

"Ah, you are wondering about them, aren't you?" Naraku asked. "They are only my puppets, extensions of myself. They have been under my control for a long time now."

"Lido!" Shido snarled. Naraku had control over his daughter's mate!

"Yes, she is delicious. So young, so tender, and so willing." Naraku purred.

"Kill me. Take your revenge, but let Lido go. Please!"

"No, sweet Demon lord, I am not going to kill you. If I kill you, how will you feel the pain? I am leaving the fortress tonight and I am going to take everything that you love. I will take with me your precious daughter, your beloved mate, and your only son. All of them! If I sense you or any other Blood Demon near me, I will kill one of them. Which one would you like me to kill first?"

"One day you will pay! I swear it!" Shido promised Naraku, his eyes filled with hatred.

Naraku pushed Tyrrl off and took his place, filling his mouth with the coppery taste of Shido's blood. Then he put his mouth over Shido's in a dreadful parody of a kiss and let the blood pour into Shido's mouth. Shido choked on it and the blood ran down the corners of his mouth. "You don't like your own blood? You liked mine enough!"

He nodded to Tyrrl and the Demon bent down to feed more. "Remember, I will kill one of your precious loved ones if any Blood Demon gets near. Now, good night, Lord Shido, by the time you wake up, I will be long gone." Shido slipped into unconsciousness and the three Demons released him.

Naraku then directed Ralf to get Lido. In a short while, Ralf returned with her. Lido was in her nightclothes, a cloak thrown over her shoulders, her hair flowing unbound down her back. She looked so much like her father it was uncanny. Except for her eyes; they were blue like her mother's. Her mate had dragged her out of bed, throwing a cloak to her. She gave a little cry when she saw her father, blood on his face and also on his, they had fed on him! What was happening?

Naraku went to her and caressed her face while Ralf held her arms behind her back. Why was Ralf helping Naraku? "Ralf is mine. He is now a part of me." Naraku answered her unspoken question. Lido stared at him and then at Ralf. No! This could not be happening! Then she was bound and gagged and Ralf threw her over his shoulder. Naraku made his way to Liho's room, Tyrrl leading the way. Without knocking, they went into the room and saw an empty bed. Where was she? Out of the darkness Liho flew at them. She had felt her mate's pain and anguish and had hidden when she heard them approaching her room. Liho managed to sink her teeth into Tyrrl, but Vos tore her off, tearing her throat out.

"No! I wanted her alive!" Naraku cried. Too late! Liho was dying, blood gushing out of her ruined throat. "Damn it! Go find the kid!" Tyrrl and Vos looked around the room and found the child hiding behind the heavy drapes. Tears were running down his face. The little boy had just watched his mother die.

"Hello, Shilo." Naraku said to the child. "I am Naraku."

Ashara had been riding for two days now and she was tired. Rana led the way, always heading north. She had told Tasuki that he was needed in Suzaku to summon the guardian, inventing a lie about famine and crops. He was riding by her side, wondering why they seemed to be following the little orange Demon, but he kept quiet. Ashara had already yelled at him for asking questions. He also didn't know why Ashara was even going with them. Shouldn't one of the Protectors or the guards be going with them? He was not strong enough to protect her from a powerful Demon. As darkness began to fall, Rana pointed to a small one-room way station for travelers. "He awaits you, Princess."

She told Tasuki set up camp and take care of the horses and then walked to the small hut. She opened the door, there he was. Naraku was more beautiful that she had imagined. His long dark hair fell in rippling waves down his back, his skin was flawless, and his eyes were large and brown, there was no malice in them at all!

He stood when she entered the hut and bowed to her. "Princess."

Ashara went to him and Naraku lifted her lips to his. His mouth was sweet as honey. "Princess," he murmured, "I have seen you through Rana's eyes and have fallen in love with your beauty. I am yours if you want me."

"Oh, yes, I want you. I have desired you ever since I knew that you were coming for me."

Naraku slowly removed his clothing, revealing a well-formed body, and then knelt before her, "This is all that I am and I give it all to you."

She went to him immediately, kissing his face and running her hands over his silky skin. Oh, he was so beautiful. The perfect opposite of Sesshomaru; they were like mirror images: one light, the other dark. She could easily imagine lying with them on either side of her, taking turns. She sighed happily. This was the way it should have always been! She noticed that a bed was already made and waiting and, without hesitation, they tumbled into it. She had never felt like this when she was with her males!

Outside, Vos and Tyrrl had quickly overpowered Tasuki, careful not to hurt him. He was bound and gagged and sat next to a young woman, also bound and gagged. When she looked at him; there was terror in her eyes. At her side was a boy of about seven, clinging to her. Who were they? Tasuki could sense Ashara's passion. Who was she with? What was happening? Why had Blood Demons attacked him? He had a million questions but no answers.

All through the night, Ashara and Naraku made love. He was incredible! His body writhed under her touch, ready time after time for her, and it was not her power but his own true feelings! She felt very blessed to have such a beautiful and powerful man in love with her. During a short rest period, she lay there in his arms, her hand idly running down his satin hip, then she reached further down. He moaned softly as she stroked him. "Oh, my love, please give me a few moments' rest." He begged. "My body needs the rest, but my heart does not want to stop your touches for even a second. I have never known a woman's love before."

"Never?"

"Never have I lain with a woman before. And for nearly 15 years I have been aroused every day only to be bitten and fed upon."

"I thought the saliva of a Blood Demon stopped the pain?"

"Yes, but only after the first bite and that first bite is agony. Daily I endured such tortures at the hands of Shido! Please forgive me, but I want revenge on that Demon."

"You are free from him now. I will not let him ever harm you again," she promised. Then she realized her situation. She could not return to the Castle with Naraku. They would kill him, still thinking him evil. She could see in his clear brown eyes that there was no evil in him. He could not hide his feelings from her power! "That was an empty promise. I cannot protect you. And I have no longer have a home."

"We will make a new home together." He kissed her, and then continued, his voice soft, "You should be more than just an honorary princess in a tiny country. You should be a queen. And I will make you one!"

"How is that possible?"

"Before I was injured by the Hanyou Dog Demon, InuYasha, I visited Seiryuu. It is the most powerful country of the Four Gods World. It could easily conquer the entire world except for Suzaku's alliance with Otherworld. But it is not Otherworld that keeps Seiryuu at bay, but the secondary alliance with Raizen and the Northern Lands of Demon World. If that alliance were to break, then Seiryuu could easily take over the entire Four Gods World."

"And how would the alliance break? Raizen will not break from my mother."

"No, but Suzaku will break with her, after her emissary, her own daughter, gives the emperor of Seiryuu a very special gift: one of the Celestial Seven."

"Tasuki!"

"Yes, Tasuki will be held hostage by Seiryuu. And Suzaku will immediately believe itself betrayed and break the alliance with Otherworld, which in turn breaks the alliance with Raizen."

"Do you wish me to marry the emperor to become queen?" Ashara asked in horror.

"No! No, my love. Of course not. The emperor is an evil man with a taste for young boys. One of my Demons will simply eliminate him once he has taken over the Four Gods World. And you will become its queen."

"And you king?"

"No, Ashara, I have no desire to rule a land. I would be happy to be your consort. As long as I am near you, I will be content." He looked down at himself, "And now it looks like I have rested enough."

Naraku took her into his arms, the human part of himself at the fore, the Demon parts in the background. What a stupid, gullible woman! She would rule only as a puppet, listening to his guiding voice, and if any Demon dare oppose him, he would use her power to bind them. Tasuki, he would be killed immediately.. that would break the alliance! As for the Emperor, Naraku would easily win him over with his second gift: Shilo. The sweet son of Shido was just the right age for the emperor's tastes!

Suddenly there was a commotion outside and Naraku went to the door, Ashara following. Bankotsu stood there, with Ralf and Vos on either side of him. "Bankotsu! Stop!" Ashara commanded. The Thunder Demon had answered her summons. Bankotsu looked at her, surprised by her nakedness and then he saw Naraku. This was her new lover? Naraku? Never! His thoughts were coupled with action and lightning flashed from the sky aimed directly at Naraku. Vos pushed him out of the way and the lightning struck Vos instead. He was dead before he hit the ground. Ralf screamed as his partner died and leapt on Bankotsu, tearing his throat out. Bankotsu fell, his life's blood pouring out. "He tried to kill us!" Ashara exclaimed, not believing that one of her males could disobey her.

"We must leave immediately." Naraku said, and then ordered Ralf to get ready. He pulled Ashara back into the hut. "My love, are you alright?" She nodded, still stunned by her male's rebellion. She had not thought it possible. He handed her clothes and then began to dress. "We must leave immediately. This will bring others and we cannot be here when they arrive."

Bankotsu laid there, a glimmer of life still in him. He watched as Ashara left with Naraku, never even stopping to check if he was alive or dead. Blood Demons! Why were they with Naraku? And Tasuki was bound and gagged. What was happening? Within minutes, Bankotsu was alone, with only the charred corpse of Vos to keep him company. His mind went to Aara. "Princess," he thought. Princess Aara felt Bankotsu's touch. "No!" She screamed and ran to the main hall, calling for InuYasha. All that were in the Castle came to her cries. "Bankotsu is hurt! Oh, gods! He is dying! You must go to him fast. Almost directly north."

"Kome and I will go with InuYasha. We are as fast as he is." Souten said and the three left the Castle at full speed. But it didn't matter how fast they were, they would be too late. Bankotsu's life was rapidly ending. With the last of his strength, he tore off his left sleeve and then dipped his finger in his own blood. On his arm, he carefully wrote two letters and a symbol grateful that Kurama had taught him how to write. His last thoughts were of Aara and the love she always had given him.

In the Castle, Aara fell to the floor sobbing. He was dead! Her beloved Bankotsu was dead! Vash gathered her into his arms and held her tightly.


	5. Chapter 5: The search

**Chapter 5 - The Search**

Shido woke up a little over an hour later, alone in Tyrrl's dark, empty room. He sat up, head spinning from the loss of blood. He grabbed his clothes and put them on, wincing when he pulled on his trousers. Damn! It hurt! Putting aside the pain, he went out into the hall, calling for his men. He ran to his mate's room and threw open the door. Liho lay there, in a pool of blood.

Sobbing with grief, Shido took her in his arms. His beloved mate! The men searched the room but there was no sign of Shilo. Of course not! Naraku had made good his promise. His son and his daughter were now hostages of that murdering Demon. Liho had fought and had been killed trying to protect their young son.

Long hours passed by before Shido could bear to release Liho's body. He felt empty inside; both his mate and his partner had been taken from him. If it were not for his children still in jeopardy, he might never have moved again. But for them, he had to function. He finally gave Liho to his men and then went to his own room. He ripped off his clothes, which were covered in his mate's blood and his own and, after a scalding and very painful bath, dressed.

He would have to go to the Castle for help. With three Blood Demons helping Naraku, his men could never get close enough. He sent for a feeder and when the human came, he fed from the young man's wrist. He vowed that he would never again feed from his usual place. After feeding, he cloaked himself against the sun, and started the journey to Princess Aara.

Even going at their top speed, InuYasha, Souten, and Kome did not reach the way station until mid-morning the next day. They could smell the blood long before they reached the station. Souten went to Bankotsu first. He was a fellow Thunder Demon and a friend to both himself and his father. Kome checked out the other body that was blackened and burnt. Bankotsu had killed this one. This damage could only have been caused by a direct lightning strike. InuYasha went into the hut and came charging out. "Naraku was here!" he told them. "I'd know his scent anywhere! I am going after him. You two take Bankotsu and the other one back to the Castle. Ask them to send help after me." And without another word, he took off, following Naraku's scent.

This was the first time Souten had ever seen a friend die and he was heartbroken. Tears ran down his face as he knelt next to Bankotsu's body. Kome gently bent down to him and together they stood up. He then put Bankotsu's body in Souten's arms.

"Let's take him home now." Souten nodded mutely, and took to the air. Kome slung the other body over his shoulder and raced after his friend. At top speed, they returned to the Castle, arriving after midnight. Kome left the unidentified body outside with the guards while Souten carried Bankotsu into the Castle. The Princess was waiting and he gently laid Bankotsu in her lap. She cradled his torn body in her arms, her tears running unrestrained down her face.

Hiten had returned to the Castle that afternoon, and now put his arm around his son's shoulder, comforting the heartbroken boy. Kome told Kurama about InuYasha and Naraku. The scent of Ashara and Tasuki had also been in the area, they must be captives also. Bankotsu must have died trying to save Ashara. There were other scents, but they didn't recognize them. Kurama sent Hiei and Hiten after InuYasha. Hiten picked the fire Demon up and then took the air. Hiei could easily sense InuYasha, being bound as brothers, so Hiten could fly as fast as possible.

Kurama and Kaiba examined the other body, but it was badly damaged. When they turned it over, they noticed a large scar. Even with that clue, they had no idea whose body it was. Then they went inside to check Bankotsu's body. While Vash held his mate, they pulled him from Aara's arms. She buried herself in Vash's arms. On Bankotsu's left arm, Kurama found the characters he had written there: A + N. Kaiba looked at the Fox Demon. "The A must mean Ashara and the N is Naraku. Ashara is not a captive of Naraku! She is with him. That is what the plus has to mean. And he wrote this after he was hurt and dying, and after they all had left him. She must have known that Bankotsu was mortally wounded!"

"Sadly, I agree. Tasuki would not go along with Naraku, no matter what. I feel that he is a captive. I don't understand how this happened."

Kurama pondered it for a minute. "So, who is helping Naraku? Naraku by himself does not have the power to kill a Thunder Demon and to capture Tasuki, who has the power of fire, and the body that was killed by Bankotsu tells us that Naraku has help."

Kaiba agreed and added, "Tasuki went with Ashara three days ago, probably on the pretense of returning to Suzaku, since that's the direction they were heading. Tasuki was surely caught off guard and he cannot create flame, only direct it. And Ashara must have sent for Bankotsu, with the intention of capturing him. But he was stronger and fought. Wait! We forgot about Sesshomaru! If Ashara called Bankotsu to her, she probably called Sesshomaru also."

Kurama went to the Princess and told her what they had deduced. She wiped the tears from her eyes and Vash helped her stand. She was dismayed, but not surprised by her daughter's duplicity. She had to bring Sesshomaru to her before he fell into Ashara's trap. But how? He was no longer bound to her and she could not call him to her. "I need Bakura," she said and the mage was sent for. When Bakura appeared, she asked, "Remember the crystals that you once made into communication devices?" He nodded. "Will they still work?"

"Yes, but both of you would have to have them on your person to work."

"Mine is upstairs, and Sesshomaru will be carrying his with him. He carries everything of value on him, a habit he picked up from long years of walking his land." With that, she ran up the stairs to find the pendant, calling to Vash to help her. Together, they tore their room apart. Where did she put that thing? Vash called to her "Is this it?" and dangling from his fingers was her pendant. Thanking him, she held it tightly and sent her thoughts to Sesshomaru. It had to work!

While she was looking for her pendant, Kurama sent messengers to Kaide's Village to bring Kouga, Kenshin, and Toyna, along with part of the wolf pack, to the Castle. Yusuke and Sanosuke would stay to protect the Village. Then he sent Touya and Suzuki to find Sesshomaru. He wished that Jin was still living in the Castle, but the Wind Demon had left them years ago, returning to his father's land. When the Princess returned to the main room, Kurama asked if the crystal had worked. "I don't know. He didn't answer, but I felt the connection. I only hope that he listens to me and not Ashara. But he is bound to her. I don't know what he will do."

Just then, guards came into the halls, escorting Shido. The Demon Lord looked terrible, with deep dark circles under his eyes. He told them his story, leaving nothing out. Naraku had deceived them, although he still didn't understand how it had happened. Kurama told him what had happened to Bankotsu and Ashara. Bakura listened to them and then spoke, "Many years ago, I knew a Demon that was a blending of two Demons. And he could take the form of both Demons at times. One mind but two bodies. Perhaps Naraku, who is comprised of many Demons, can do this."

"He did say that Tyrrl and the others were just his puppets, extensions of himself." Shido added. "And he might have many more puppets."

"How can we tell who they are?" Kurama asked.

Shido asked to look at the other body and immediately recognized Vos. Kaiba showed him the scar on his back. "Vos did not have a scar. But Naraku does have one exactly like that! If all of his puppets have scars, then we can know them by the scar." Kurama immediately ordered every servant and guard examined for the scar. None were found, but they did report the disappearance of Rana, personal servant to Ashara. He had last been seen riding out with Ashara and Tasuki.

"That's how he did it! Naraku used Rana to get to Ashara!" Aara exclaimed. "She might also be a victim after all, believing in his lies."

"Naraku is an expert manipulator. Look how he managed to deceive us all." Kurama agreed.

"Especially me." Shido said sadly, "and my stupidity cost me my family and friends!"

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Aara told him. "He deceived us all. I think InuYasha may be the only one that was never deceived by him. But I am worried about him going against Naraku alone. I know that InuYasha almost killed Naraku before, but now he has Blood Demons with him. I tried calling him back but he would not obey. His blood lust is up and he only hears its call."

The next day, messengers were sent to Raizen to warn him of the escape of Naraku, and also to Suzaku, warning them that Tasuki was a captive of Naraku. In the afternoon, Kenshin, Kouga and Toyna arrived at the Castle. Kouga and Kome immediately sped off to find InuYasha and give him what aid they could. Hiei and Hiten had traveled northeast rather than due north; going by Hiei's binding sense.

Suddenly, Hiei told Hiten to head downward. There was a smoky hazy in the air around a large area that encompassed almost half a mile. Hiei cautiously went into the haze, while Hiten went airborne again to watch over him from the sky. About half way into the haze, Hiei spotted a splotch of red. InuYasha was sitting against a tree trunk, his head hanging down and the front of his clothes covered in blood. Hiei called to Hiten and rushed to the Dog Demon. Hiten landed near them. InuYasha was alive but nearly unconscious. While Hiei was checking on him, InuYasha suddenly heaved and vomited up blood. Hiei suddenly realized what had happened. Naraku had prepared for the possibility of a confrontation with InuYasha, the only one who had managed to hurt him. Naraku had targeted InuYasha's main weakness, his acute sense of smell. That's why the entire area was filled with hazy smoke. As soon as Hiei told Hiten his theory, Hiten picked up the Dog Demon and carried him away from the smoke. They had recently passed a small lake and Hiten took him there, with Hiei following close behind.

Once at the lake, Hiten landed with InuYasha. During the short trip, InuYasha had vomited more blood up. He had already vomited up whatever had been in his stomach, and now he was now tearing out his own stomach lining with the spasms. His clothing and hair reeked of smoke. They removed his clothing and carried him into the lake to wash away as much of the smoke as they could. Hiei asked Hiten to fly back to the Castle as fast as he could with InuYasha while he continued to check out the area. He promised that he would not go after Naraku by himself. Hiten wrapped up InuYasha's smoke-filled clothes and strapped them to his back, then he wrapped the dog Demon in the light blanket he used for sleeping and took the sky. Blood kept bubbling from his mouth.

During the trip back to the Castle, Hiten spotted Kouga and his son, Kome. He went down and told them where Hiei was and what had happened to InuYasha. The Wolf Demons sped off to find Hiei while Hiten continued his journey to the Castle. Hiei was still searching in vain for a trail when the wolves found him. Even with their sensitive noses, they could not find a trace of Naraku. The smoke had not only felled InuYasha, it had obliterated his trail. Naraku had disappeared! Although they were disheartened, the three Demons refused to give up. They moved north into the mountains that stood between Otherworld and Demon World.

They would have been even more disheartened if they realized that if they had gone east instead of north to the next village, they would have found the clues they were looking for. Tyrrl and Ralf had gone into the town and taken three people from the village. One was a woman who was still nursing and two young men. The wet nurse was for Shilo. Naraku found out, much to his dismay, that Blood Demons only ate blood after they reached puberty, around the age of 13. Until then, they nursed from their mothers. No Blood Demon could tolerate solid food. Naraku now had to procure a wet nurse for Shilo and also a couple of feeders for Tyrrl and Ralf. His entourage now consisted of Ashara, Tasuki, Ralf, Tyrrl, Lido and Shilo, plus three humans for food. This was getting ridiculous! He was trying to escape without notice and he had a parade following him! He had absorbed Rana into himself, but he needed Tyrrl and Ralf for the hostages. Even though Naraku controlled their minds, the Blood Demons still functioned as individuals and that included feeding.

But fortune favored him and the smoke bomb he had used on InuYasha worked better than he hoped. Hiei could not pick up his trail. Traveling by night and hiding by day, Naraku headed east to Seiryuu.

Flying as fast as he could, Hiten reached the castle just after dawn. He handed the Dog Demon to Kaiba and then made a quick report to Kurama. Hiten was exhausted, stumbling to his bed, and he was asleep the second his head touched the pillow. Kaiba took InuYasha to his room and, after making an herb to heal his torn stomach lining, he asked Kurama to grow one of his sleeping plants so that InuYasha would rest. He asked Mirago to watch over him, telling her to be careful not to get too close or the plant would put her to sleep. Throughout the rest of the night, Mirago sat next to the balcony's open doors watching InuYasha sleep.

The next morning Bankotsu was buried on top of a nearby hill overlooking the Castle. It seemed fitting to lay him at rest there. Aara was deeply affected by his death. Although he always seemed happy and carefree, she knew that Bankotsu had never known much peace in his short life. She prayed that his next life would truly be a happy one. Kurama planted a flowering cherry tree near his grave and it sprang to life, pink blossoms filling the air.


	6. Chapter 6: The amorous stranger

**Chapter 6 - The Amorous Stranger**

In the afternoon, word came to the Castle about the abduction of three humans, one of them a nursing mother. Shido explained about his son's need for a wet nurse and was sure that she had been taken for Shilo.

Hiei, along with Kouga and Kome were searching to the north, while the village was east of their location. Kurama would head a team to go to the village and question the villagers. The village would also be a good starting point for more searches, now that they knew Naraku had been in that area two nights ago. As long as one of her males was with each group, Aara could sense their direction. But with InuYasha down, she now only had two males: Kurama and Hiei.

Kurama would take Toyna and Kenshin with him to the village. Hiten and Souten would look for Hiei's group and let them know about the village sighting, then they would go out on their own aerial search. Vash asked if he could go. At the last moment, Kaiba also decided to go with them. Rin and Mirago could take care of InuYasha and Keiki, and Kaiba was worried that they might find someone else wounded. It would be a long journey back to the Castle carrying an injured man. They decided to leave tomorrow morning.

That night, Souten went to Vara and asked to be bound to her. He realized that in times of crisis, the bound males were very important, and he no longer had any doubts. With his binding, Vara could sense his whereabouts as Aara could sense her males. Vara wished the circumstances were nicer, but understood the urgency. As gently as she could, she bound Souten to her. They made love only once, since Vara knew that Souten needed his rest for the long journey facing him.

In the morning at a final breakfast meeting, Vara told the group that Souten was now her first male. Hiten was surprised but happy for his son. He was sure that Souten would be content as Vara's first male and he knew that Vara had been kind to the Princess' males when she had the care of them. There were murmurs of congratulations, but a celebration would have to wait. They shouldered packs with supplies, Toyna carrying the medical supplies for Kaiba. Vash was going mainly for his daughter. Maybe Ashara had gone bad like his brother but there was a possibility that she was a victim; either way he was going to give her a chance. When he looked at her, he could still see her as the tiny baby he first held in his arms. He kissed Aara and Vara goodbye, Kurama kissed Aara, and Souten blushed as he kissed Vara. This was still very new to him. Then they were gone.

The Castle seemed hollow and empty. Very few people, other than guards and servants, were left in the Castle. Yukina was there, but she was pregnant with her second child and kept to her wing. Keiki was just beginning to walk for very short distances, using crutches, which had been brought from the Human World for Kaiba many years ago, but he spent most of his time in bed or resting on his balcony. Rin was almost always with him. Mirago had taken over the care of InuYasha by default. The Dog Demon was sleeping, under the power of Kurama's plant, and beginning to heal. At least bloody froth was no longer coming from his lips. Shido was also left behind because he could not risk being sensed by Ralf or Tyrrl. He was torn between going home or staying at the Castle. He opted for the Castle since home was now an empty shell and the Castle was where he would hear news about his children. He spent quite a bit of the time with Keiki, the men becoming friends. Their friendship was ironic; two of the most feared species learning to trust one another.

The same day that Hiei and Hiten discovered InuYasha, Touya and Suzuki found Sesshomaru near the border between Otherworld and his lands. He was lying on his fur boa in a clearing in the middle of a forest, completely out in the open. From a distance, it was impossible to tell whether he was alive or dead. Scattered in a huge circle around him were Demons, or more accurately, parts of Demons. Over a hundred Demons - all hacked to pieces, this was sword work! What had happened? Had they attacked Sesshomaru and had he gotten hurt during the battle? As they approached, they could see no blood or injuries on him. When they got about 100 feet from Sesshomaru, a voice called out. "Why don't you just leave him alone? Do you really want to die here?"

"What?" said Touya, startled by the voice out of nowhere, "Where are you?"

A young man came out of the forest, with an unsheathed sword across his shoulders.

Suzuki called to him, "Did you do this? Are you protecting Sesshomaru?"

"Is that his name?" the man said.

"If you don't know him, why are you protecting him?" Touya asked.

"Just for fun."

Touya and Suzuki looked at each other. Fun? Who was this man? "We do not want to harm him. We were looking for him. We are Protectors from Otherworld." They moved closer to Sesshomaru and the man also came closer, but remained in the shadows.

He brought the sword off his shoulder, readying it for use. "How do I know you are friends of his?"

"You will just have to take our word. We only want to help him and take him back to the Castle where he lives." Suzuki replied.

"I thought you said you were going to take him to Otherworld."

"The Castle is in Otherworld. The Princess will take care of him." Suzuki was getting exasperated.

"Princess? I like princesses! What's she like"?

It suddenly began to get colder as Touya iced up, angry over the rudeness of this man. Suzuki held him back. "Come with us and you will meet her. I'm sure she will want to thank you for protecting Sesshomaru." Touya looked at Suzuki in surprise. He was inviting this stranger to the Castle?

"Is she pretty?" the stranger asked.

"Princess Aara is a beauty beyond compare." Touya stated flatly, glaring at the stranger.

"Well, then, I will have to meet her." He walked toward them and both stared when as he drew closer. Neither of them had ever seen coloring like his. His hair was short and messy, and a deep, dark red. But it was his eyes that had startled them the most, they were also deep red and seemed to glow from within. The feel of his power sent prickles down their spines. What the hell was he?

They checked Sesshomaru, but the Demon Lord had no visible injuries. He just seemed to be asleep. But when they tried to rouse him, they met with no success. Touya and Suzuki started to lift Sesshomaru between them, when the stranger effortlessly picked him up and put him over his shoulder.

"It will be faster if I carry him. Grab his things and don't forget that fuzzy thing he was lying on." He started off in the direction which they had come from, walking very fast. Suzuki and Touya quickly picked up the boa and all of the other things lying around and ran after him.

They alternated between walking and running for two days and nights before they reached the Castle. The stranger, who had still not given them his name, never seemed to tire and looked impatient when Suzuki and Touya demanded that they rest for at least a few minutes. When the Castle towers finally appeared on the horizon, both of them breathed a sigh of relief. Let someone else deal with this strange man.

When Suzuki and Touya arrived with Sesshomaru and the stranger, everyone came running. Bakura came down from his tower, Shido came from Keiki's balcony where they had been talking, Rin and Mirago rushed down, and Vara came out of the study. Aara was in the back gardens and word was sent to her. Suzuki told them how he found Sesshomaru and about the stranger that had protected him from over a hundred Demons.

Sesshomaru was taken to his room, still in a deep sleep. Bakura went to him with Mirago and Rin following. Vara greeted the stranger and thanked him for his help. He looked at her, with a slightly disappointed look on his face. Suddenly, Aara rushed into the room. Vara quickly told her mother what had happened. She turned to the stranger.

"Thank you for your help. You are welcome in my Castle. I am Aara, Princess of Otherworld, and this is my daughter, Vara."

The stranger's red eyes gleamed when he saw her and he smiled, "It is my pleasure, Princess. I am called Kyo."

Aara excused herself and went to see what was happening with Sesshomaru. She asked servants to show Kyo to a room and promised to make time for him a little later. Then she was gone. Kyo watched her leave. She was indeed beautiful beyond comparison. Bakura examined Sesshomaru. There was nothing wrong physically with the Dog Lord, but his mind was shut down. He simply refused to wake up. Bakura looked at Aara, "I can only surmise what happened. Ashara called him and he was going to her. Then you called him and told him to come to you. He could not refuse either call but also could not obey either call, so he simply shut down. I'm not sure how we will be able to bring him back. Perhaps Kaiba will have the power."

Aara nodded, looking at the beautiful Demon Lord sadly. Perhaps she should have never tried to call him. But if she hadn't, Sesshomaru might have fallen into the same trap as Bankotsu. With a sigh, she left his side, Mirago promising to watch over him also. Aara then went to properly greet their visitor. She knocked softly on his door and he asked her to enter.

Kyo was startling to say the least, his eyes extremely unnerving. Somehow they were worse that Bakura's, it must be the strange glow that sometimes appeared in them, lighting them from within. She walked out to the balcony with him, to show him the gardens and explain how to get down to them. He stood very close to her, but for some reason she didn't mind. He kept talking, just above a whisper, but later she would not be able to remember what he had said. He took her hand in his own and kissed her cupped palm. She couldn't stop staring into his glowing red eyes. He came even closer, pressing against her body with his own. He kissed her and she felt her entire body tingle. He kissed her again, deeper, his arms wrapped around her tightly.

Suddenly she forced herself out of his spell, moving away from him. She told him good night and quickly left the room. She went quickly to her room and closed the door, leaning against it with a sign of relief. What had just happened? Kyo stood on the balcony smiling. So the beautiful princess was powerful enough to break his spell, and there were very few that could do that. She was going to be great fun to conquer! But he had limited time; if either her mate or any of her males returned or the Dog Demon woke up, it would be impossible. She would never allow herself to be with him alone again. Kyo calculated that he had two more nights at the most.

Kurama reached the village, but gained very little new information. The people had been taken in the dead of night and no one had heard a thing. The woman was asleep next to her husband, but he did not wake up during her kidnapping. From the village, Kurama and his group searched for miles to the east but found no trace. But the village was in the foothills of the high northern mountains and visual tracking was almost impossible.

They contacted the Northern Wolf Clan and enlisted the help of those wolves with the tracking. The smoke had obliterated Naraku's scent so even the wolves could not find him. It would only be by chance or design that they would hear from Naraku again. They agreed to spend another two days searching and then return to the Castle. The usually calm fox was very frustrated by their lack of progress.

Kurama was sure that Naraku had a plan, but he couldn't think of what it might be. Naraku could just be going into hiding again, but he didn't think so. He had been safe with Shido. No, Naraku had made his move. Kurama just had to figure out what it was. Hiten and Souten told Hiei the news about the village and that Kurama was searching to the east of the village. Hiten himself would search to the north. Hiei and the Wolf Demons might as well continue searching where they were since they had no idea which direction Naraku was heading. He might be going to Demon World, trying for the Eastern Lands. There was no alliance with the Eastern Lands but to get there, they would have to travel through either the Northern Lands (Raizen's lands) which was unlikely or the Western Lands (Sesshomaru's). It was also possible that they were heading into Suzaku since they had Tasuki captive, but that made no sense.

They all decided to search for a few days more and then head home. It was too easy to hide in these mountains. With Kaiba gone and her charges asleep, Mirago had little to do. She began to spend time with Suzuki and by default, Bakura. His looks no longer bothered her, as a matter of fact, she was beginning to think of him as handsome. His skin was a pale blue, very appealing, and his black hair was long and lustrous. As everyone said, his eyes were the worst, but Mirago soon got used to them.

The mage was very shy at first, but began to warm up to her, giving her little projects to do. He was kind with the girl; never scolding her when she messed up, he just quietly showed her the correct way. She began to look forward to spending time with him. Suzuki noticed that his mentor seemed to like the girl and soon found things to do elsewhere when Mirago entered the tower. He liked Bakura a lot and thought Mirago would be good for him. Maybe she could make him realize that his looks were not terrifying.

The next evening, Aara walked in the gardens as usual. She loved her gardens and spent a great deal of time in them. Her activity was so restricted and she rarely got the chance to travel her own lands, that her gardens kept expanding until now they were almost five miles in depth with a long meandering path through them that was nearly eight miles long. It was a long walk through the entire gardens, but there were several smaller paths that branched from the main path that brought you back to the Castle. Depending on the path you chose, you could walk a mile, three miles or five miles. Aara was currently walking on the three mile path when Kyo caught up with her. She started when she saw him approaching, suddenly realizing she was alone with him.

"Princess, may I join you?" he asked, knowing she could not refuse. Without waiting for an answer, he took his place beside her.

Aara kept her eyes on the path before her, afraid to look up into his eyes. They walked silently for about half a mile. Only one more mile and she could escape to the Castle. Suddenly Kyo stopped and took her arms. Her natural reaction was to look up, and she did right into his glowing red eyes. She tried to use her power, but it had no effect on him. He didn't even feel it. She was lost!

Again, he whispered to her, holding her tightly against his body. He kissed her while his hands stroked her shoulders, her arms, and then found her breasts. Oh! She was drowning in his voice and those eyes! His kissed her throat and then dipped his head further down and kissed the tops of her full breasts. She trembled under his touch. He gently led her off the path and into the concealing growth. He knelt down and pulled her down with him. Before she realized what was happening, her clothes were off and he was kissing her entire body. He moved between her legs and gently spread them apart. He bent down and kissed every part of her and then his tongue dipped deep into her wetness. Aara felt like she was on fire. Is this what her males felt?

He soon had her throbbing inside and just when she thought she would faint from the pleasure of it, Kyo sat up and quickly removed his own clothing. She lay there waiting for him, pliant in his hands. This was not her power it was all his! Without ceremony, he pushed himself inside and after a few hard thrusts, flooded her with his seed. It was hot! Not painful, but still very hot. His eyes gleamed red gold in the dark as he released and then they changed to a deep red color. He rolled over to lie beside her.

"Thank you! It has been such a long time!" he exclaimed.


	7. Chapter 7: Memories

**Chapter 7 - Memories**

When Kyo turned over and said those words, his spell ended. Aara scrambled to her feet, grabbed her clothes, and ran to the Castle, struggling to put on her clothes as she went.

"See you later," he called after her. Once at the castle, she went directly to her room and tore off her clothes and drew a hot bath. She loved her baths since it was the only time she was completely alone. As she lay in her bath, she refused to think about what had just happened, so her wandering thoughts turned to the past. When she had been born, or created, or whatever you wanted to call it, she was in the care of Arina, the oldest of her four sisters. Arina was protector of the borders between the Demon World and the Human World, the most dangerous borders of all. She had twelve powerful Demons bound to her to keep those borders strong.

Athara protected the boundary between the Spirit World and the Human World. Benevolent spirits traveled freely to visit loved ones or as guiding spirits, so protecting those borders was not hard. She kept malevolent spirits from the Human World and worked hand-in-hand with Koenma, the heir of the Spirit World. Koenma took the form of a human child of about two until he formed an alliance with Athara. Then his form grew up to that of a teenage human boy. It was obvious than the Spirit ruler had a crush on Athara, but it was one that would never come to fruition. He could not act on his feelings and Athara felt nothing for the young ruler.

But Athara also had the task of protecting the boundaries of Otherworld and the Human World. Before her arrival, Demons entered Otherworld and went to freely into the Human World. She had ten males, three of them mages, and used almost all their power on that one border.

Arista protected the boundaries between the Spirit World and the Four Gods World. She had only five males, since her boundaries were the easiest to protect. Aratha had the long border between the Four Gods World and Demon World. Since both sides of that border were hostile, her ten males were taxed to the limit. Aara's alliance with Suzaku had made her task much easier.

Aara spent the first two years of her life, until she was 14 physically, in Arina's castle. Her own castle, in the center of Otherworld, was being built during those two years. When she turned two (or 14), Arina took her to Kaleffe's room. He was on his bed and she pulled the covers off him, revealing his naked body. She then showed Aara exactly where to touch a male, what a male's anatomy was like, using Kaleffe as her example. Aara watched as she showed her how to arouse a male and what to do after he was aroused. A week later, Aara was taken to another one of her males, a lynx Demon. He was writhing on the bed and Arina explained that animal Demons sometimes went into heat. Then Arina showed her youngest sister what to do about it.

A month later, Aara was taken to her own castle, and introduced to her servants and guards. The first thing she did was travel throughout her land, from the northern mountains to the valleys and lakes in the south. She could feel the rhythm of her lands inside of her very being. Somehow she was connected to them and that connection gave her a fierce need to protect them. When she returned to her castle a month later, Kaleffe brought Youko Kurama to her.

For a hundred years, Youko Kurama was her only bound male. She slept with him every night, buried in the warmth of his arms and, unfortunately, all his silky hair. Demons usually had long, long hair. She wasn't sure why they liked to wear their hair so long, perhaps because it was a hassle to cut it constantly. Youko Kurama had a long tail also. His hair was everywhere! She kept her own hair to about mid-back length but couldn't talk him into cutting his. Besides that wouldn't help with the tail of his!

During those hundred years, Aara found two mages, Bakura, a powerful Demon mage and Kaiba, a healer mage. Bakura arrived after an invitation to several mage, covered in hood and robe for he was ashamed of his appearance, she saw him with her heart rather than her eyes and therefore his terrible eyes and Demon markings never bothered her. When he saw that she did not flinch at his looks, he knelt before her, promising her allegiance, but asking not to be bound. It was hard not to bind the mage. She could feel his loneliness and wanted to make him part of her, but she respected his wishes. A tower on the north corner was built for him.

Eighty years after she took Youko Kurama, her guards brought a Demon to her. He was bound with heavy chains and thrown bodily on the floor in front of her, snarling and spitting with fury. His eyes were completely feral and deep red. The guards were following her instructions never to kill a Class A Demon no matter what their crimes, but to bring them to her. This Demon was one of the leaders of his kind and openly used the humans of Otherworld as food. Many traps had been set for him and it had taken years to catch the wily Demon.

Aara walked to the growling Demon and looked at him. He stared back with absolute hatred in his eyes. Then, ignoring the cries of her guards, she knelt and wrapped her arms around him. His fangs were only an inch away from her neck. Moments before he sank them into her, she used her power and surrounded him with trust and calmness. He stopped growling. Aara told her guards to remove his shackles and carry him to a bedroom and undress him. He would be perfect as her second male. The guards carried the now docile Demon up the stairs.

She followed them after a few minutes, giving them time to carry out her orders. He was lying on the bed, his nude body long and slender, but with strong biceps and calf muscles. Demons had enormous strength and even the ones that appeared to have no body tone at all were incredibly powerful. A Demon who had well defined muscles like these must be extremely strong. He was facing away from her and she went around the bed to sit next to him. He looked up at her, his eyes no longer red, but a beautiful sky blue. His pupils were long ovals. She began to gently stroke his arm and hip, when he suddenly took her hand, stopping the motion.

"Please, Princess, I beg you. Do not bind me," he said. "I am a wolf and wolves mate for life to only one person. You have another male and will have more. Please, allow me to find my life mate. I vow never kill a human again, but to protect the humans instead. My wolves will obey me and follow my lead. Allow me to protect Otherworld."

She looked into his eyes and felt his emotions through his hand. The fear was raw: he knew would be killed if she did not save him, but still he begged not to be bound. Under the fear was pride; it took a lot for him to beg like this, and his words were true. She nodded, granting him in that one small gesture both his life and his freedom.

So because of the pleas of Kouga, the Wolf Demon leader, the Protectors of Otherworld were born. Youko Kurama, her only male, was put in charge of them, and Kouga kept his word. Over the ensuing years, he became high leader of all the wolf clans and brought them all under his sworn word. No humans were ever killed by a wolf or a Wolf Demon again. Instead, the humans were protected by them. In return a wounded wolf could go into a village and get help. After a few years, the wolves began to make dens near the larger villages, and the villagers began to see the wolves as an extension of their village. In times of poor crops, the Wolf Demons brought fresh meat to them. And the villagers sewed and mended their fur clothing and gave them medicines and fresh milk for their children. Aara never once regretted having trusted Kouga on that fateful day.

Then almost exactly one hundred years from the time he was bound, Youko Kurama brought Hiei to her. Youko Kurama had told her about the Fire Demon he had brought back with him from Demon World and asked that he be made a Protector and given a home. She smiled at the Fox. So the cold-hearted Demon did have feelings after all! She was never sure since her power and subsequent binding had created his feelings for her.

When she sent for Hiei, it was with that intention only. She never thought that she would bind the little Demon, but when she touched him and felt the pain and loneliness in him, it was as bad as what she felt with Bakura..her heart went out to him and she wanted more than anything to erase that pain. Through the years, Hiei had always remained her favorite; the one that needed her most.

She loved being with him. He was a bundle of emotions, just the opposite of Youko Kurama. He showed none of them on his face except when he was with her, and then everything he felt was written all over him. Youko Kurama had given him a taste for sweets with that one morsel of chocolate and ever since then Hiei would ask the cooks to make him pastries and cakes. Aara laughed, telling him that if weren't for his metabolism, he would be her little round Demon. When Vash appeared in their lives, Hiei found a soul mate, at least for sweets. Vash also had a sweet tooth and the two would always have breakfast together, usually pancakes dripping with syrup. It was amusing to see the tall (6'2") blond man eating breakfast with the tiny (5'1") raven-haired Demon. They would chatter the morning away, becoming the best of friends in the process.

About thirty years ago, the Miko priestess guarding a magical crystal died, and the crystal shattered, scattering all over Otherworld. The crystal had the power to augment Demon powers and therefore the shards were coveted by all of Demon kind. Soon weak Demons became powerful ones and Aara found her lands beset with Demon attacks. She needed to bind more males. But instead of binding Sesshomaru, a powerful Dog Lord, she bound InuYasha, a half-Demon, a Hanyou, to her. She never once regretted it. InuYasha was a brave, fearless fighter and, in her arms, sweet and loving.

As shards of crystal began to come into her hands, she and Youko Kurama pondered what to do with them. Youko Kurama didn't feel that he needed to add to his power, and InuYasha was afraid that it would make him less humanlike and more a cold-hearted Demon. He never wanted to stop feeling what he did for the Princess. Hiei had already augmented his powers with his Jagon eye and the Dragon of the Darkness Flame. Two shards were given to Kouga to give him speed since he traveled from pack to pack throughout Otherworld. Youko Kurama kept the others safely. Ah,Vash! He was her miracle and gave her a taste of what humans felt. He was her companion and her mate and she loved him dearly. After his advent, her life changed, losing her males to her daughters. Now the first three were back. She had not realized how much she missed them and how much she loved them.

Tonight she had felt what her males must have felt. An all-consuming need to be with someone, with Kyo. What was he? With that thought, Aara came out of her reverie, her bath water gone cold, and got out of the tub. It was very late and the Castle was quiet. Dressing quickly, she went to Bakura's tower. She went to his sleeping quarters and shook the mage awake.

"It is not wise to wake a sleeping mage like that," he grumbled.

"I want to know what he is!"

"Who? Oh, Kyo? I have no idea."

"You've got to have some idea! His seed is hot, but it doesn't burn." then she blushed when she saw the look on his face. "Damn! I couldn't stop, I didn't even try! I just remember his red eyes. I couldn't bind him. The bindings wouldn't stick to his mind. Or whatever happens when I bind, even I'm not even sure how my power works!"

Bakura smiled at her, "It will be interesting to hear you explain this to Vash and the others."

She stood up, "You're not helping!" He spread his fingers apart in a gesture of surrender. Aara left his room as quickly as she came in. A little whirlwind of energy and emotions. Bakura smiled at the thought.

Aara was heading back to her room, when she found herself in Kyo's room instead. Damn!

Kyo was lying there, as if waiting for her to arrive. He beckoned her to his bed and she obediently went to him. The next morning, she was still lying there wrapped in his arms. Every time she asked him what he was, he evaded the question.

"Why don't you know anything about Otherworld?"

"I haven't been around for a long time," he said.

"Where were you?"

"Hibernating. I just woke up a few days ago."

On hearing that, she jumped out of bed, promising to return shortly, put on her dress haphazardly, and rushed up to see Bakura again. This time, the mage was just beginning to get dressed when she burst into his room.

"Don't you ever knock?" he exclaimed, struggling to put on some clothes.

"Oh, who cares? I've seen you before! He hibernates! Kyo said that he just woke up."

Bakura gave up trying to get dressed and sat there naked on his unmade bed,

"Okay. Kyo can create fire, he did that with his sword. His seed is hot. He hibernates, and for a long time judging by his lack of knowledge of the current world. Ummm." Bakura sat there, forgetting about his lack of clothes, trying to puzzle it out. She was looking at the mage; his blue torso covered in black Demon markings. They were beautiful. He caught her staring at him, turned a deeper blue as he blushed, and started dressing again.

"You are so beautiful!" Aara told him. "I should have bound you to me. I still can if you want me to," then she paused, and teased, "Ah, no! I've heard that you've found someone to replace me. Mirago is your willing slave now, isn't she? Always following you around."

"Don't tease! Mirago is only...ah …" He realized that Mirago actually had no reason to be in his tower all the time. Bakura blushed an even deeper blue and Aara giggled.

"Don't laugh at me! You are the one who is crawling into bed with a Demon stranger!"

"Which is precisely why I am here! You need to figure out what he is!"

Bakura mentally counted off the types of Demons, but none of them fit. Suddenly, he found one that did! "I've got it!" he exclaimed. "He is a fire salamander!"

"A lizard! Kyo is a lizard! I am sharing the bed of a lizard?" she groaned and ran back down to confront Kyo. A lizard indeed!

Bakura watched her leave, thankful for the peace and quiet. Kurama had brought him a whistling tea kettle once, after he had burnt a couple of pots forgetting they were on the flame, and it drove him crazy. Screaming for attention. There was no way to ignore the damn thing! Finally he threw it out. The Princess often reminded him of that tea kettle. Aara went into Kyo's room without knocking. He was still lying there in bed, waiting for her to return to him.

"I know what you are! So arrogant and in reality only a lizard!"

"A lizard?" Kyo echoed.

"A fire salamander! That's what you are!" she exclaimed.

With that, peals of laughter rang from him. "You think - I'm - a - salamander?" He managed between laughs.

"You aren't?" she said, disappointed that she hadn't guessed, but secretly glad he wasn't a lizard.

A soft knock sounded on the door and Aara went to answer it. Keiki stood there, balancing on his crutches. "Are you alright? I heard noise."

"I'm fine. That is only Kyo." She told him, "Oh! You've never met Kyo, have you? Come in and I will introduce you."

Keiki struggled into the room, carefully watching where he walked, and then looked at Kyo. Kyo's laughter stopped instantly. "Damn!" he said as he saw Keiki. "A Unicorn!"

Aara looked at them both. The looks they were giving one another were decidedly unfriendly. How did Kyo know that Keiki was a Unicorn? She was sure that no one had told him because everyone who knew had agreed to keep it a secret.

"You know what Kyo is?" she asked Keiki.

"Don't say anything. Or I might have to eat you." Kyo warned Keiki, his voice serious.

Keiki hobbled to the bed and sat down next to Kyo. In a voice just above a whisper, he told the Demon, "I can transform faster than you can and my horn would kill you instantly, 'Kyo'."

Kyo glared at Keiki, and then sighed. "I give up. Unicorns have no sense of fun. Go ahead, tell her."

"Princess Aara," Keiki began with a flourish, "May I introduce you to Kyoryugeromaru, the Red Fire Dragon."

"A Dragon! You are a Dragon!" Aara asked, amazed. "I didn't know dragons could take human form."

"We learned to, like the Unicorns to survive." Kyo answered. Then he told her about the dragons.

Once there were many dragons, covering the worlds, but it was not divided then, just one big world. Dragons were alive before the Demons came, before the humans came, even before the Unicorns came. When the Demons found that the Unicorns could kill them, they began the slaughter of their race. But they left the bodies to rot and the humans found them. They took the golden horns and made them into spears for their kings. Quite by accident, one of the kings threw a spear at a Dragon. The horn pierced its armored body and the Dragon was killed. Word of the Dragon's death reached the Demons too. Thus the war began. Man and Demon against Dragon. And the Dragons were losing. Their only hope was that the Unicorns were also being exterminated and would likely become extinct. So the Dragons decided to sleep, to hibernate, deep under the mountains until it was safe to wake up. Every so often a Dragon would wake, taking human form so he could walk the lands safely. The Dragon's mission was to find out if the Unicorns still lived. If they did, he or she would sleep again. If the Unicorns were gone, he would wake up the other Dragons. It had been ages since Kyo went to sleep, just shortly after the one world had divided into five worlds. All that time and the Unicorns still managed to survive.

Aara listened to Kyo's tale. There were still lesser dragons around, but even these were much diminished in number. Ryuukoysusei, the dragon that killed InuYasha's father and nearly wiped out the Dog Demons, was one of these lesser dragons. But the Great Dragons had not been seen in ages. Aara was saddened by his history. For the Dragons to survive, the Unicorns had to die. It seemed so unfair - both were beautiful and magical.

Keiki quietly left the room, saying he needed to get off his leg and rest. Aara sat there, her thoughts filled with sadness. Kyo reached for her and brought her down to his side.

"Don't be sad, my beautiful Princess. I have enjoyed your company."

"Are you leaving because I found out your secret?" she exclaimed. "Please! You have to stay!"

"So now that I am a Dragon and not a lowly salamander, I am now good enough to share your bed?" he teased.

Aara reddened at his words. "Yes, I admit that I prefer you as a Dragon. Oh! Dragons can mesmerize, that's what you did to me, isn't it?"

"Yes, but you broke my spell the first time. Only three beings have ever broken my spell before and two were very powerful mages. The other was a Unicorn."

"Will you stay, Kyo? Please stay for a while," she pleaded.

He ran his fingers through her long hair, saying nothing for a long time. Then he spoke, his voice soft, "I would like to stay in the world for a time. But if it were known that the dragons sleep under the mountains, I fear they would be found and killed. But I would like to stay with you."

"Keiki has the same fear. I can protect his kind if he will let me but there is no way to protect the dragons. I do not have that power, nor do any of my males." she said sadly, "But I want you to stay, Kyo. I want you to be part of my life, my family, sleeping under a mountain is not truly living, is it?"

Kyo smiled at her, "No, it isn't. Perhaps if I am found out, I can say I'm the last of my race."

"Or that you are a lesser dragon."

"No, the lesser dragons cannot change form, and we are very different." Kyo looked into her eyes, and then kissed her, "Is there room in your life for me once your males come home?"

"Yes, I will make room!" she promised him.

Kyo laughed and pulled her on top of his own body. "I will stay for a while, Princess," he murmured in her ear.


	8. Chapter 8: Bakura

**Chapter 8 - Bakura**

Princess Aara sat at head of the long table. The searchers had trickled home during the day and this dinner was the first time for many of them to get together and compare notes. It was also a small celebration for Souten and Vara, but very low key since no one really felt like celebrating. On either side of the Princess were Vash, Kurama, Hiei and InuYasha. They were all chatting away, telling InuYasha about their futile search and he was telling them how Naraku had ambushed him. InuYasha never even saw that miserable Demon. Kenshin and Shido were next to them and intently listening to the conversation. Aara was not paying attention to her males but instead was watching her guests.

At the other end sat Vara and Souten, quietly talking to Hiten. Kouga and Kome were next to them and Kome was desperately trying to talk his father into letting him stay a few more days here in the Castle. Finally, after much pleading (and pouting), he talked his father into letting him stay at least a few more days. On Vara's other side, sat Kyo. He was observing the other end of the table, watching Aara and her males. After meeting her males and Vash, Kyo realized that unless he used his power, she would probably never again come to him. He really didn't want a woman that he had to mesmerize every time he wished to have relations, but he did want to stay in this world and accepted her offer of a home, at least for the time being, after promising never to use his power on her again. So much had happened since he had walked the world and he wanted to savor it all. Aara was certainly agreeable to that, and her males were very happy. Since Kyo was not bound to them, he felt like an intruder. Now that he was no longer vying for the Princess' attention, he could be accepted as a friend.

Yukina and Touya were also at the table, which was a rarity at this stage of her pregnancy. Toyna's birth had been very difficult and Kaiba was keeping her off her feet and getting as much rest as possible during this pregnancy. She only had a few more weeks before the delivery of her daughter. Perhaps Touya and Yukina wouldn't have the relationship that Kouga and Kagome did, but they were very content with each other. Aara was glad she had been wrong about the ice master.

While Kome was trying to stay in the Castle, Toyna was trying to go back to Kaede's Village; of course, to see Kenru. So far he was not having much success. Touya felt that Toyna was needed here more; in case Naraku surfaced. With Yukina so fragile, Touya did not want to leave her side unless it was absolutely necessary. Especially since they were down three males with Bankotsu dead, Tasuki still captive, and Sesshomaru comatose.

In the center on the opposite side from Vara were the mages. Kaiba sat next to Rin, but she kept looking down the table at Keiki, wishing she were sitting next to him. Suzuki was trying to engage her in conversation but wasn't having much luck. Kaiba was talking with Kurama about Sesshomaru. Bakura was furthest from the Princess and Mirago was next to him. That's where the Princess' attention was focused. She watched the blue mage as he smiled at whatever Mirago was saying. Since Mirago spent all of her free time in the Northern Tower, Bakura had gotten used to the girl and was no longer tongue-tied around her. But the Princess was not happy. How could he pay so much attention to such a silly child? Bakura was a powerful mage and should be talking to someone worthy of him, like Kyo or Keiki. Without realizing what she was doing, her power surged with her mood and the air grew heavy. Conversations began to waiver, and then stopped. One by one, all heads turned to her. She suddenly found herself staring into the eyes of all of her guests. "What you are looking at me for?"

Kurama spoke quietly, "Your mood has effected us all. Is it Bankotsu?"

She looked at the Fox Demon in horror, blushing deep red. She could not tell them her thoughts; that she had been jealous of Mirago! But she couldn't think of good excuse, so she apologized and quickly left the table. Vash followed her up the stairs into their room. She sank on the bed and began to cry. He sat next to her and put his arms around her.

"It's okay, my dearest," he whispered as he held her.

"Oh, Vash! I wasn't thinking of Bankotsu at all!" she admitted, "I was watching Bakura and that stupid child! I have never seen him smile like that with anyone!"

Vash looked at her, surprised at this revelation. "Except when he is with you. You make him smile, you can even make him laugh and no one else can do that. Why does Mirago bother you so?"

"I … I don't know. I even teased him about her the other night, but I had never actually seen them together; I had just heard about it from Kaiba. It hurt to see him smiling at her." She rested her head on Vash's shoulder. "What is wrong with me?"

"I believe it is known as jealousy. Bakura has been yours alone for many years and now you fear you might have to share him." Vash mused, the added, "I think you should bind him."

"What?" She looked up at her mate, startled. "Bind him?"

"You have wanted to for a long time. You keep asking him."

"Yes, and he keeps refusing."

"Have you ever asked him seriously since the first time?" Vash asked her.

"No, not really. So I should ask him seriously?"

"No, I think you should use your power and bind him to you. He belongs here with you. You have lost three males; Bankotsu is dead, when we rescue Tasuki, I think he should be bound to Vara instead of you, and Sesshomaru should be freed, you were right about that."

"So just walk up to him and use my power on him. I don't know if I can, even if I wanted to. He could lash out with his power. You have never seen his power; he is formidable and very capable of killing me."

"Which he would never do. He loves you; you know that he has loved you ever since he first met you."

Vash kissed her forehead and stood up, "Now I am going downstairs and try to salvage the dinner party. Think about it and listen to your heart."

After he left, Aara undressed and put on her robe, then went to the balcony and stood there in the dark. Was Vash right? She had always been attracted to the mage, but since he belonged to no one else, she never went further, respecting the request made over a century ago that he not be bound. The thought of losing him was terrifying and the thought of him with anyone else was simply unthinkable.

In the distance, she could hear the party breaking up and people heading to their rooms. Well, she had certainly put a damper on that! When her feelings were strong, her power magnified them and they came out without her realizing it. She had made a fool of herself tonight, but fortunately no one other than Vash realized it. If she went to Bakura, would she be an even bigger fool?

She heard Vash go to bed, but he did not come out to see her, giving her time to decide what she was going to do. If she did nothing, would Bakura become involved with Mirago? Even the thought of it was painful. "Listen to your heart." Vash had told her. She did not want to lose the mage to anyone. Yes, it was selfish. When there wasn't chance of him liking anyone, she was content to have him as a friend, but now that he was showing interest in Mirago, she wanted him completely. She had nerve calling Mirago childish!

But the fact remained that she did not want to lose Bakura. His childhood reminded her so much of Hiei's. His own mother had hated and feared the look of her son and had even refused to nurse him, sending him away when he was just a few days old. His father had found an elderly woman to raise his son, but neither of his parents ever saw their son again. And neither of them had blue skin or black Demon markings. Bakura himself had no idea why he looked like he did, the markings were a physical manifestation of his power, but his coloring remained a mystery.

Judging by the placement of the full moon in the sky, Aara estimated that was after midnight. She had made up her mind. She went through the bedroom where Vash lay sleeping and into the hall, closing the door quietly behind her. First she checked on her males, Kurama, then Hiei, and finally InuYasha. All were sound asleep. Then she walked up the long winding stairs to the North Tower. To Bakura.

She stood there in silence watching the sleeping mage, his body pale in the moonlight, with the incredible beautiful Demon markings running down his entire body, fewer markings on his extremities, and many more on his torso. She would not use her power, it had be his decision to be bound or not. Never again would she take someone against his will. She whispered his name and his strange eyes opened. He looked her but said nothing, waiting for her to speak. Finally she broke the silence and quietly told him, "I am serious this time, Bakura. I want to bind you..I want you to be one of my males. I think I have always wanted you, but I never acting on my feelings."

"I asked you not to bind me when we first met." he said, his voice a whisper.

"And you have that choice again. I will not bind you unless you wish it."

"Why? Why now after all these years?"

"Because I realized I might lose you and I couldn't bear it."

"Lose me?" Bakura frowned. He wasn't planning to leave.

"To Mirago…"

Bakura looked at the Princess in amazement. She was serious! "But she's a child. I have no interest in her. Oh, Princess, you must know I only love…" and then stopped as he realized what he was about to admit.

"Yes, Bakura, I know. I have always known. But I don't want to take the chance of losing you to anyone. Will you let me bind you?" She asked.

He looked at her intently, as if trying to read her thoughts, then slowly nodded.

Aara smiled and moved to sit on the bed with him. He sat up and she took his face in her hands. "Thank you, Bakura," she said. And then she kissed him; the first kiss he had ever received. She could feel him trembling under her hands. She deepened the kiss and touched his shoulder tenderly. He followed her lead and kissed her back, but he was afraid to return her touch. Then her hands went further down and gently cupped him. No one had ever touched him there. He gave a little moan and unconsciously opened himself to her. She took full advantage of his accessibility, and his response was quick and complete.

She slipped off her robe, climbed into his bed, and then gently guided him to her. Her body showed him the beginnings of a rhythm and soon his instincts took over. His whole body shook with the force of his first release. As his strength left him, his weight came down on her, but she said nothing, only held him tightly, stroking his shoulders.

I didn't even feel the binding." Bakura murmured.

"I forgot to do it! I got so involved … I will do bind you now." Her power felt like tendrils touching his mind with insubstantial fingers. He burrowed into her warmth. It felt so good, and then he became aware of Kurama. The Fox Demon was sleeping peacefully. Hiei came next, and finally, InuYasha. He was amazed how he was conscious of them, just subtle stirrings in his mind.

"You need a bigger bed!" she exclaimed and then moved underneath him. He realized that he had all of his weight on top of her and started move off. She showed him how to lie so that he was still partially on her but with only a little of his weight on her. When Bakura was settled, she stroked him down the small of his back. He buried his head in the curve of her neck. He never imagined it could feel this wonderful! This time he needed no guidance, and afterward he was careful not collapse on top of her like he had the last time. He rolled over and lay beside her. She turned so she was facing him, looking at his body in the moonlight.

"You have markings everywhere!" Aara exclaimed. With that, she lifted his penis, running her finger along the black marking that bisected its blue tip. He gave a small shiver. She glanced at him and smiled mischievously, and began to lightly stroke all the Demon markings in that area. Soon he was extremely aroused. But instead of letting him enter, she continued to stroke the marking on his tip, bringing him to the very edge. Just when he thought he was going to explode, she allowed him entry. He thrust himself in deeply, on fire after all her teasing, and flooded her almost immediately with his seed.

Aara played with him throughout the night, and he kept pace with her. It was to her great surprise and infinite enjoyment to find out that Bakura had such stamina. His fears and uncertainty began to disappear and he soon found that his hands could give her equal pleasure. She taught and he quickly learned and together they passed the night in the mutual enjoyment of each other. It was dawn before they finally fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms.

This time Vash and Hiei shared their breakfast with Kurama and InuYasha. They all knew where the Princess was, they could feel Bakura now. Vash explained about last night, but none of her males were surprised. They had always known that she had feelings for the Demon mage and all of them liked Bakura. Hiei, although he had never said anything to Bakura, always felt a kinship with him because of his similar childhood. Maybe now they could become friends and share their feelings about it.


	9. Chapter 9: Mirago's choice

**Chapter 9 - Mirago's Choice**

She couldn't stop crying. It just wasn't fair! Why did the Princess have to bind Bakura? She already had three wonderful males and a tall handsome mate. Mirago had dreamed of a romance with the mage, filled with magical gifts from him and other fantasies. She was barely 16, and had been kept very protected by her mother and father. Miroku, well known for his own lecherous ways, remembered how he used to be and kept his own daughters very sheltered. And the irony of having daughters did not escape him!

Rin tried to console her younger sister, but Mirago refused to be comforted. She sobbed, begging to go home, she did not want to stay in the Castle for another day! The Princess refused to deal with the childish antics of Mirago and made Kurama deal with her instead. Kurama was not happy about it either. He didn't want to get involved in a childish snit, and he wasn't just talking about Mirago! In his opinion, Aara was behaving just as badly! Also, Hiten, Kouga and Kenshin had left for Kaede's Village very early in the morning, so there was no one to take her home. Finally, after a couple hours of listening to her sob, Kurama relented and sent her home with a couple of guards. Miroku would not be happy!

Before Mirago left, Suzuki came to see her, wishing there was something he could do to stop her sadness. He would miss her company. Kaiba also visited her, sorry to see his apprentice leaving, and feeling that he had failed her. There had been so much going on that he had not had the time to start her studies. He promised her that if she ever changed her mind, she would always be welcome as an apprentice. A little after noon, Mirago and three guards started the journey home. They would camp out tonight and arrive at the village tomorrow in the late afternoon.

Naraku stood there on the edge of the forest, watching the three guards set up camp. They were guarding a teenage girl. He smiled. His plan was coming together almost by itself! After his capture and imprisonment by Shido, his killer insects were almost eradicated by Kurama and his plants, but there were still a few left alive. Even during his captivity, Naraku was aware of what was happening in Otherworld through his insects and he knew that the girl was Mirago, youngest daughter of Miroku. Fortune had placed her within his reach.

When the search for him concentrated in the north and northeast, Naraku had gone south instead and now was camped only about a day from the road between the Castle and Kaede's Village. As soon as he felt it was safe to travel again, he would again start the journey north to Seiryuu. He separated a Demon from himself, a huge beast that could easily handle the three human guards. Without warning, the beast attacked the camp, slaughtering the guards in moments.

Mirago screamed in terror and ran for the forest. The beast was at her heels and the girl knew she did not have a chance of outrunning it. Suddenly, out from the forest charged a young man with a sword. He leapt high in the air and clove the beast in two. He rushed to her side, grabbed her hand, and ran with her deep into the forest. "These Demons often travel in pairs. We must get away from the body," the young man quickly explained. Mirago ran after her rescuer into the forest.

After a couple of miles, he stopped in a natural glen, trees growing around it so that it was hidden from sight. She fell to the ground, panting from all the running. "Thank you!" she gasped, "Thank for saving my life!"

"I'm only glad I got the chance," he replied, smiling at her. He took out a container of water and gave it to her. She drank thirstily and handed it back. This was the first time she got a good look at him. He was incredibly beautiful, fair of face with long, wavy dark hair and large brown eyes. "I am Mirago."

"My name is Kunara. I am from a small castle in the western lands of Otherworld."

"Castle?"

"Yes, I am a prince, but a very insignificant one," he told her modestly.

A prince! She had been rescued by a prince, and a very handsome one. This was indeed a fairy tale come true. She smiled at him, flirting shyly. If she could entice this young man, she would be a princess on her own right. A really princess, not just an honorary one like Aara. He was so handsome! Better looking that any of the Princess' males!

They talked most of the night, Kunara telling her of his small castle and his lands. His father had died recently and he was on his way home to take over management of the lands. It was very late when he insisted that she must get some rest. She lay down on the ground but it was so uncomfortable, she could not go to sleep. He lay down next to her and offered his shoulder as her pillow. Covered in her cloak and snuggled against her savior, she fell asleep, dreaming of castles and a beautiful prince.

Mirago had never really been in love with Bakura. She had imagined loving him, but a dream version of the mage, not the real man. Now a real prince was in front of her, and her romantic fantasies easily switched from the mage to the prince.

In the morning, when she woke Kunara was gone, but soon he returned, carrying a large leaf filled with berries that he had picked for their breakfast. He apologized for the poor fare but Mirago thought it was ambrosia. She was afraid that he would take her to the road and leave her there, but instead he offered to escort her home, a two-day journey. She was overjoyed. They walked side by side, going through the forest and not using the road because of the possibility of a second beast. As they walked, they talked, finding that they had much in common. Everything she liked, he seemed to like also. It was like he had been created just for her!

That night, Kunara prepared a small shelter for her, and covered the ground within it with soft grasses. He was so wonderful, so caring and considerate. And then all her dreams came true when he told her that he had fallen in love with her the moment he saw her. He begged her forgiveness for being so forward and she told him that she felt exactly the same way. He gently kissed her, her first kiss ever, his mouth soft and warm. Exactly like she had always dreamed her first kiss would be.

"Please be my princess," he whispered in her ear, and she threw her arms around his neck. "Yes!" she cried joyfully.

He covered her face in kisses. Then slowly he undressed her while he continued to kiss her. She was so happy she thought she would faint with joy! He was so gentle and loving to her, Mirago was sure that she had found her life mate. They spent the entire night and much of the next day in each other's arms. Over and over he made love to her, always tender and loving. The next night, after a dinner of fruits and nuts that he had procured, they slept in each other's arms. The next day they would start out for her home. She couldn't wait for him to meet her parents. Mirago was sure that they would love Kunara as much as she did. A young, handsome prince that was kind and brave. How could they not love him?

As they got closer to her home, Kunara changed the plans. "My love, I must go to my castle and tend to my father's affairs. They are waiting for me and my lands are in disarray. Please go to your home, but do not tell them about me. I want to come for you and properly ask for your hand, as I should have done before we mated. I will come for you in a week. Will you wait for me?"

"Of course! I am your mate now, aren't I," she exclaimed, disappointed that he would not come with her, but understanding his need to hurry home. At the edge of the village, but upwind from the wolves' camp, Kunara kissed his new bride farewell, promising to come for her as soon as possible. Then he watched her go to her home and slipped back into the forest.

Naraku smiled as he watched the foolish girl go home. It had been much easier than expected. He didn't have to even seduce her. Her stupid fantasies about castles and princes did that for him. Now she would have a surprise waiting for her very soon. With a cruel laugh, he turned to start the journey back to the camp where his true princess, Ashara, waited. Miroku and Sango were in the Human World. They had gone through the portal at Kagome's family home, but were staying in a hotel, a luxury that was unknown in Otherworld. Miroku was trying to take his mate's mind off of the departure of her daughters, and they were both blissfully unaware of the events happening in Otherworld.

While money was not used in Otherworld, it was definitely important in the Human World. Fortunately, Kurama came up with a solution. The wily fox had cached much of the treasure he had stolen while he was a thief and took some very valuable pieces to the Human World to sell. From that nest egg, he created a portfolio. He was very savvy in the stock market and soon the portfolio was doing very, very well. He employed a financial company to do take of his finances, although he made all the decisions, and also set up credit cards for Miroku, Kagome, Kenshin, Keiko, and himself, all drawing from the main account. Every so often, one of them would go to the Human World and buy items for Otherworld. There was always a long shopping list, with underwear always high on the list.

This time was no exception; the list was just a long as usual. Underwear by the dozen for everyone. Kaoru wanted a couple of lacy nightgowns, Hiei wanted chocolate (as always!), and on and on. Their hotel room began to look like a storeroom. Miroku wasn't sure how he was going to get it all home. It would never fit into one taxi! They had left a cart at the portal to carry all the things, but they still had to get it to and through the portal. But finally everything on the list was purchased and tomorrow they would go home. Although the city was exciting, they both missed the quiet of Otherworld. Miroku lay there that last night, Sango's head on his shoulder. He never once regretted taking her as his mate and neither did she. Since time didn't pass in Otherworld at the same rate as the Human World, they both looked exactly the same as when they mated, nearly 17 years ago. They would continue to look that young for many centuries. Kaede was showing age, her hair graying, but she was now over 500 years old.

The next morning, they managed to get everything into a pair of taxis and drove to Kagome's family home. Miroku went into the well through the portal, and with the help of Kagome's entire family, Sango threw everything into the well where it would appear in Otherworld where the cart and Miroku were waiting. Then she went through the portal and they headed home. But their homecoming was not a happy one. They heard the terrible news of the death of Bankotsu, the escape of Naraku, and the problems with Ashara and Tasuki. Then they found out that their youngest daughter was missing, her guards found slain. Kouga already had his wolves out and they had found the body of the beast that had done the damage. But they could find no sign of Mirago. Sango burst into tears and was getting ready to search with Kiara, her giant Demon cat, when Mirago suddenly walked out of the forest. She told her overjoyed parents about being rescued by a young man who took her home, but didn't tell them about her involvement with him, respecting Kunara's wish to ask for her hand. Miroku was disappointed that he could not thank the man for rescuing his daughter and Mirago smiled to herself. When Kunara did come for her hand, her father would gladly give it to him. Only a few more days and her prince would come back for her.

Two weeks had passed and Mirago still waited for her prince. It must be taking longer to settle his father's affairs. She sat there on the porch, always looking west, towards his lands. Sango walked by her daughter's room; it was always a mess! She went into it to straighten it a bit, when she saw the childish writing, over and over, just one word: Kunara. The name of the young man who had rescued her. She smiled at her daughter's crush on her rescuer, and then she saw it.

The items she was holding fell from her hands. No! She picked up a pencil with trembling hands and erased the first two letters of his name and then rewrote them at the end. Kunara became Naraku! She flew out of the house to the porch and grabbed her daughter by the arms. "Tell me exactly what he looked like!" she demanded.

"What? You're hurting me!"

"Kunara, the man who rescued you. Tell me what he looked like!"

"He is very handsome, with long dark hair and large brown eyes. Why?"

Sango released her daughter and sank to the floor, tears beginning to run down her face, "No. No. Oh, please, no!" she sobbed.

Mirago ran to get her father who was with Kenshin at the dojo. Both men ran quickly to Sango and Miroku held her tightly. Brokenly, Sango told Miroku what she had realized: that Kunara was in reality Naraku.

"No! You are wrong. Kunara was sweet and kind!" Mirago cried. "He loves me!"

Miroku turned to her, "Loves you? What do you mean?"

Tears began to run down her face. What her mother was saying could not be true! "He … he is my mate."

"No!" cried Sango, "You didn't!"

"He loves me! He told me so and I love him. He can't be Naraku. Naraku is a monster!"

"And a deceiver and a manipulator." Miroku seized his staff, "And he will be dead!"

"No!" Kenshin grabbed him, "That is exactly what he wants! For you to go after him. He will kill you; remember that he has two Blood Demons at his command and who know what else. Think! Do you want to leave your mate alone and daughters fatherless?"

Miroku dropped the staff and sunk against the wall, defeated. Another victory for Naraku. His child! "That's it! That's what he is doing...he's taking revenge on our children. Shido's children, Aara's daughter and now Mirago. Damn him!"

By now, Kouga, Kagome and Hiten had joined them, Kenshin quickly filling them in. Kagome went to Sango and hugged her tightly. Kouga stood next to Mirago and put an arm around her to hug her lightly. His eyes suddenly narrowed and he met Kagome's eyes. She looked askance at her mate and he shook his head. He released Mirago and took Miroku aside. "There is more bad news, Miroku. When I touched her, I felt it immediately, she is pregnant."

Miroku looked at the wolf in horror, "Are you positive?" Kouga nodded sadly. With a heavy heart, Miroku went inside to give them even more heartbreaking news. Hiten left the room and told Kouga that he was heading to the Castle immediately to tell them what had happened. Kouga promised he would keep an eye on Serafin for him. Hiten ran to his home to tell his mate goodbye and to get his fire wheels.

The Princess was filled with guilt; if she had not acted so childishly, Mirago would not have left the Castle. It was her fault! "There is plenty of fault to go around," Kurama admitted. "I was tired of her tears and sent her home with only three guards. I too am at fault."

"I need to return home. I don't want to leave Serafin alone." Hiten said, then turned to his son, "Souten, be very careful. If Naraku is targeting our children, you could be at risk, and tell that to Kome also." Souten nodded.

"Please wait a few minutes before you leave," Kaiba requested and then ran up to his tower. A few minutes later he returned, taking Hiten aside. He handed the Thunder Demon a small vial of golden liquid. "Tell Mirago that all she has to do is drink this. But it must be her choice."

Hiten stared at the mage, then saw the sadness in his blue eyes, and nodded. "I will give it to her."

The next evening, Mirago sat there alone in her room in darkness. In her hand was a small vial of liquid. Just a swallow and everything would be resolved. She put her other hand on her flat stomach, sitting that way for a long time. Then she unstopped the vial. In the morning, Sango went to her daughter's room. Her bed had not been slept in and the empty vial was on the windowsill next to Mirago's favorite chair.

"Miroku! Miroku!" She rushed to find her mate. "Mirago took Kaiba's potion and she is not in her room! She might be bleeding and hurt…" Together they rushed out of their house to search for their youngest daughter, when they saw her coming up the walkway.

"Are you alright? I saw the empty vial." Sango asked her daughter.

"I'm fine. I didn't take it, Mother. I poured it out the window. I realized that this baby is completely innocent, he can't help who is father is, but he can know his grandparents, his aunt and a loving mother."

"He?" Miroku asked.

"Yes, I went to see Kouga to find out what my baby will be."

Sango hugged her daughter, "We will make it through this and your son will be raised in a loving family. I am so proud of you."

Miroku put an arm around both of his women, his loving mate and his daughter who was no longer a little girl. Like Sango, he had never been more proud of Mirago. And they would make it through this, together.


	10. Chapter 10: Unexpected visitors

** Chapter 10 - Unexpected Visitors**

Serafin slid into bed into Hiten's waiting arms. After Souten was born, everything had changed for them. Serafin found a loving father in Hiten and truly fell in love with him. Hiten saw in his mate a gentle, caring woman with infinite patience and did the same. The passage of time had not altered their feelings at all; they genuinely loved one another. They had purposely given Souten a reworked version of their meeting. Serafin never told her son that Hiten would have killed her if she had not become pregnant. All Souten knew as he grew up was how much his parents loved each other.

Hiten always had a very healthy appetite for sexual pleasures and was grateful that Serafin matched his ardor. When he was away from her, his only thought was toreturn to her arms as soon as possible. Never did he look at another female; Serafin was all he wanted. Tonight was no exception. Hiten kissed her hungrily, eager for her mouth, his hands exploring her body. She also caressed his body and soon he was deep inside her, their movements in complete sync with each other. Again and again they joined, his seed filling her over and over.

Finally he was spent and just before they parted their embrace to go to sleep, Hiten looked deeply into her blue eyes. "Did you feel it, Serafin?" he asked, breathlessly. "It was more than just want, I had to be with you tonight."

"Yes, I felt the same. What do you think it means?"

"I'm not sure," he mused, "but I think my seed took root tonight."

"You mean that I'm pregnant?" She smiled as she looked into his red eyes. She would not mind another child at all! Souten was a son to be proud of.

"I don't know for sure. But I have a feeling." He kissed her tenderly. "I love you, Serafin."

A baby! That would be so wonderful! Holding onto that thought, she fell asleep cradled in Hiten's arms.

Three people stood at the Castle gate, requesting an audience with the Princess. Souten went to talk to them and then led them to the main hall to await the Princess. A few minutes later, she came down with Kurama. The visitors were an elderly human couple and a Demon girl of fifteen or sixteen. Aara asked Souten to bring Kome down to join them, noting that the female Demon was a wolf.

The couple bowed to the Princess and gave her a large envelope. She opened it. Inside was a smaller envelope and a piece of paper with these words written on it: "Princess Aara: I ask that you present my child to Kouga and give him this sealed envelope. Thanking you from my heart, Ayame."

Aara glanced at the girl, trying to see Kouga in her. Kouga had told her what happened many years ago when he asked for her help finding Ayame. Was she Kouga's daughter? Kome joined them, instantly spotting the young she-wolf. She was beautiful! He stood there listening to the human couple's story, never taking his eyes off the girl.

Over fifteen years ago, the couple had found a female Wolf Demon in the woods near their home. She was very close to giving birth, but undernourished and sickly. She gave her name as Ayame. They cared for her as best they could, but the very next day, she went into labor and the husband hurried to fetch the midwife, but it would take four hours to return with her. The young she-wolf would give birth long before then. Ayame asked for pen and paper and wrote the two notes and sealed them. Ayame somehow knew that she would not survive the birth, and begged the woman to raise her child as her own. Ayame asked also that when her child turned sixteen, they would take the envelopes and the child to the Castle to see Princess Aara. An hour later, Ayame gave birth to a little girl whom she named Ayala. The child was in excellent health, but Ayame was dying, hemorrhaging severely. An hour after giving birth, she took her last breath.

The couple kept their promise and raised the girl as their own, storing Ayame's clothes and the sealed notes. Since they were childless, Ayala was a joy to them and they loved her very much. It was going to be hard giving her up, but they knew the day would come and prepared her and themselves as best they could. When Ayala turned sixteen, they started on this journey, giving Ayala her mother's clothes to wear, to fulfill their last promise.

Aara asked Souten to bring Kouga and Kagome to the Castle and he flew off. Aara asked Kome to take the couple to a room to spend the night but they replied that they needed to return home to care for their livestock. After a tearful goodbye to their foster daughter, they left. Ayala was now alone. Kome offered to show her the gardens and together they went outside.

Aara stood there with Kurama. "What a sad end for Ayame. I wonder why she did not search out Kouga. He was angry, but he would have helped her. And so would Kagome. I hope the other letter explains things."

"And we need to be careful. Kome obviously likes Ayala and she might be his half-sister." Kurama cautioned, indicating the pair as they left for the gardens. Aara nodded. She also had noticed the look on Kome's face when he saw Ayala.

Kome walked next to the young she-wolf. His heart was in his throat. He wondered if Kouga had felt this way when he first saw his mother. He pointed out the few flowers he knew to Ayala, but the girl barely paid attention. Her life had been turned upside down. The only thing she knew about Kouga was that he was high leader of the Wolf clan, but she had never lived with the wolves, only with humans. She had been raised as a human. Why had the high leader been sent for?

"Do you know Kouga?" she quietly asked.

"He is my father."

She looked at her companion. "Oh."

"He is very nice, you will like him and my mother is wonderful! She is human, you know." Kome rambled on, trying to make her feel at home. But Ayala said nothing more, just walked silently beside him. After the tour, he took her to the room set aside for her and she went in, not coming out until dinner. At dinner, she was introduced to everyone, but other than a functionary greeting, said no more.

The next morning, Serafin was outside doing laundry when she saw a young man coming down the road. Instead of going to the village, he turned and went over the bridge to their part of the village. She called out to him and he waved, but kept walking going towards Kagome and Kouga's home. "They aren't home," she shouted. He stopped, disappointment showing on his face, and then walked to her. As the young man got closer, he called out, "Serafin? Hiten's mate, right?" "Yes, I am." Serafin did not recognize the young man at all, but noticed that he had pointed ears. A Demon! There was no malice at all in his friendly smile, but after Mirago's incident with Naraku, strangers were not to be immediately trusted. "Do I know you?"

"Well, it has been 15 years since I saw you last. I am Shippo."

The little Fox Demon child who had traveled with Kagome and InuYasha! He had left them long ago to rejoin his clan. Now he was all grown up! "Shippo! How wonderful to see you again!" Serafin cried, hugging him. "Sango is home. I'll take you there."

Together they walked to Sango's house. Miroku, Kenshin and Yusuke were out patrolling the surrounding area, which they did every day since they found out that Naraku had been in the area. Sango bid Shippo welcome and she and Serafin sat on the porch, listening to Shippo recount his years away, learning from his pack. He could now transform into a more manlike form. His fox magic was also much stronger, but he was still the sweet Shippo that they remembered. Mirago came out and joined them on the porch, but sat silent, adding nothing to the conversation. Shippo had left right after the children had been born, so the last time he saw Mirago she was just a tiny baby. He noticed that she had grown into a very pretty young woman, but he wondered why she looked so sad.

That morning two more visitors came to the Castle. The first was a young man with short, messy red-gold hair. He introduced himself as Tekki, one of the sons of Tekken. He had been sent to help with Tasuki's search, although he had never met his half-brother. InuYasha took the young Demon under his care and caught him up with events. Tekki would stay in the Castle until Tasuki was found, helping them in any way he could. He reported that his father had the entire Bobcat clan searching throughout the northern mountains and they would continue to patrol that area. Kurama was relieved upon hearing that news. That clan knew the mountains better than anyone and Naraku would not be able to evade them if he went in that direction.

Later that morning, another visitor came to the Castle, this one very unexpected, looking for his father. His name was Kiri and he was Keiki's son. He looked similar to his father in coloring, but he kept his hair short. The younger generation seemed to realize how much easier shorter hair was to take care of. He was taken to see his father, and spent the rest of the day talking to him in private. Rin was dismayed by the appearance of a son. Was Keiki mated already? Keiki had never mentioned anything about a family.

In the early afternoon, Souten returned with Kagome and Kouga. Before sending for Ayala, Kouga was told about Ayame's death and given her letter. He went into the library to read it in private. While Kouga was in the library, Kagome told Kome what had happened that night between his father and Ayame. Kome was crestfallen. Ayala was his sister! He was falling in love with his own sister! Kouga stood there in the library, the unopened letter still in his hand. He felt very responsible for Ayame's death. He should have searched for her himself. But he hadn't wanted anything to mar his own happiness, and because of his selfishness, Ayame had died giving birth to his daughter. Tears blurred his vision as he open the envelope. As he read the letter, he suddenly sat down in the nearest chair, stunned by the words on the page.

"My dearest Kouga, I beg your forgiveness for deceiving you. First of all, my child is not yours. I was already pregnant when I forced myself upon you. I was terrified about giving birth to a child when I was unmated and thought that if the clan believed it was the high leader's child, they would accept me. But the clan hated what I did to you and shunned me. Instead of telling them the truth, I foolishly ran away.

Don't blame yourself for my misfortune; I brought it on myself. I beg you to take care of my child and treat her as if she were your own. Please tell Kagome and my child however much of the truth you feel is right. The real father was a young man, a half Demon I met in the mountains one day. He seduced me and we stayed together for over two weeks in one of the caves in the mountains. Then one day he was gone. I have no idea where he went or why he left me. Perhaps he was killed, but I never found his body. His name was Rakuna. I don't know what kind his Demon half was, since he looked more human than anything else. He was very handsome with long dark hair and large brown eyes. Perhaps you can find him and tell him about his child. Again, I beg for your forgiveness. Ayame."

As Kouga read the letter, he realized immediately whom Ayala's father was. Change the position of the last two letters of Rakuna and it becomes Naraku. Damn him! Another life destroyed. Kouga wiped the tears from his face and went outside. Ayala stood there waiting. She looked so much like Ayame that his heart stopped for a moment. He smiled at her, and then gave the letter to Kagome and to the Princess and Kurama. Then Kouga took Ayala for a walk, gently telling her about her mother. He told her the complete truth; there had already been too many lies. She sobbed upon hearing about her mother's sad life, and Kouga held her as she cried on his shoulder.

Kurama did a timeline and deduced the reason for Naraku's disappearance. The timing coincided perfectly with InuYasha's attack on the Demon. Naraku had fled into Demon World, half dead from the attack. Even if he had not been wounded, it was doubtful that he would have stayed with Ayame much longer. Naraku cared for no one but himself, and Ayame was probably little more than a passing fancy. Kagome told Kome about Ayame's letter, and although he knew he should feel sad, the only thing he felt was relief. The beautiful she-wolf was not his sister!

At dinner, all the guests were introduced. Kouga introduced Ayala as the great-granddaughter of the leader of the northern clan. Tomorrow he and Kagome would take her home with them. Kome also wanted to return home and Kouga frowned at his son. A few days ago, he was begging to stay here.

Keiki introduced his son, Kiri, but offered nothing more about either Kiri's mother or the rest of the Unicorns. Privately Keiki had told Aara that the Unicorns were still deciding whether or not to live under the protection of the Castle. He could only speak for his own family and the presence of his son proved that he trusted her. Whether more of his family, if any more there were would join him was not discussed. Keiki had survived through the centuries by not trusting anyone other than his own kind and it was a hard habit to break.

Tekki was also introduced to everyone. He seemed very upbeat and happy and had already become friends with InuYasha. Tomorrow the two would go to the way station where Tasuki was last seen; perhaps Tekki could see something that they had missed, although it was a long shot. Rin was very quiet at dinner, not only because of the appearance of Kiri, but because Kagome had given her the news about Mirago. Rin wondered if perhaps she was needed at home, but Kagome didn't think so. Her studies with Kaiba were very important; she would bring a wealth of knowledge to Kaede's Village when she completed them.

That night, Kouga and Kagome talked over the day's events. Kouga was still very upset about Ayame's fate and Kagome tried to soothe him. "It was not your fault, Kouga. She chose her own path and she paid the consequences. My only thought is for Ayala. We must make her feel welcome."

"She will be treated like one of our family. I'm glad Kome decided to return home."

Kagome looked at her mate. Sometimes he was so smart; other times he couldn't see the trees for the forest. She shook her head. "Kome is infatuated with Ayala. That's the only reason he is coming home, to be near her."

Kouga stared at her, his brows raising. "Kome? With Ayala?"

Kagome sighed and kissed her mate. He thought about it for a while longer, then commented, "Well, I guess she would be okay for him."

"Why wouldn't she be? Ayala is a very sweet girl. And very pretty. Does she look like Ayame? The look on your face when you saw her made me think that she did."

"She looks almost exactly like Ayame. I am worried only because she is Naraku's daughter."

"I wouldn't worry. She was brought up in a loving home and will have another one. I wouldn't mind at all if she and Kome mated. If I remember correctly, you were worried that he was not interested in anyone a few days ago."

"Umm, yes, I was," he murmured as he settled down to sleep. Kagome turned over so Kouga could spoon her with his body. She was so used to his warm body against hers that when he wasn't with her, she slept buried under two or three blankets no matter what the weather. She fell asleep hoping that Kome would be just as happy as they were.

The next morning, the four of them set out for home. Kouga carried Kagome and Kome did the same with Ayala, trying very hard not to show his immense joy at being able to hold her in his arms. Ayala was amazed at the speed of the two wolves. She had never even heard of the crystal shards before today. She was very glad that she was going to a human village to live instead of a wolf den. She had no idea how to live as a wolf.

As soon as they got home, Sango came running over with Shippo in tow. Kagome was amazed by the transformation. No longer a little fox child, he was grown up and almost completely manlike. He could transform into true fox form like his father now, but only did so when he was traveling long distances or was with his pack.

The families all got together for a dinner to introduce Ayala to everyone and welcome Shippo back. Kenshin introduced them to his daughter Kenru; Yusuke and Keiko introduced their eleven-year-old son, Raike, whom they had named for Yusuke's father. The boy had a gentle demeanor and showed nothing of the Battle Demon personality, but then he was only a quarter Demon. Keiko was very grateful that her son was not a Battle Demon like his father. She remembered Yusuke and his constant fighting when he was younger and didn't want that life for her son. Mirago was also there, and Shippo seemed to have taken her under his wing, devoting almost all of his attention on her. Sango had confided in him the reason for her sadness but that didn't bother him at all. He knew first hand the insidious lies of Naraku. Naraku was responsible for a lot of grief, and Shippo was determined that this pretty girl would not become another victim.

Ayala sat between Kagome and Kouga, much to chagrin of Kome, who wanted to sit next to her. Actually he wanted to do a lot more; his hormones had suddenly kicked into overdrive. His dreams had been very vivid last night and, in the morning, he had been torn between leaving his sheets wet from an attempt at cleaning them or just leaving the evidence of his dreams on them. Finally, he decided that the servants were probably very used to stained sheets, with all the sex going on in that Castle. But he feared it would continue to happen and he dreaded his mother finding out. Maybe it was just a natural thing that was happening to his body, but it was still very embarrassing. He wasn't sure how he was going to handle it now that he was home. Maybe he could offer to do the laundry. Then he realized that Ayala might be helping with the laundry now and he flushed deep red.

Kouga happened to be glancing Kome's way and saw his son turn bright red. His eyes narrowed. What was going on in that boy's mind? Kouga wondered if he had acted so silly when he was courting Kagome and feared that the answer would not be flattering.

After the dinner, everyone made his or her way home. Shippo was staying at the dojo since it had the most room. If he decided to make his home here, they would help him build a little house. He lay in bed thinking about the dinner. Things had certainly changed since he was with the group. Kome could now sense the shards, and Souten was the first male of Princess Vara. But mostly he thought of Mirago. He wanted so much to take care of the girl and make her happy. Without even realizing what was happening, Shippo was falling in love.

On the walk home from the dinner, Kenru was pleading with her parents to let her visit Rin at the Castle. Hiten was flying there tomorrow and could take her with him. But it was not Rin she wanted to see, she wanted to be part of the searchers. Kagome and Sango both were fighters when they were young, but she was kept at home. She would sometimes be allowed to patrol with her father, but not often. She didn't want a life of laundry and cooking. She wanted adventure!

Kenshin was reluctant because of Naraku, but the Castle was probably the safest place from him. Kaoru would go along with whatever Kenshin decided, always trying to keep peace in the family. She knew that Toyna would be very happy to see Kenru and she also knew that Kenru would not pay any attention to him. He would never win her heart no matter what he tried. She felt sorry for the young Demon and hoped that he would find someone who would love him some day. Kenshin finally relented and allowed Kenru a short visit, but she could not come home alone. It had to be with Hiten or Souten. Kenru happily ran to Hiten's home to tell him that she would be coming with him tomorrow morning.

At Kouga's home, two young people were wrapped in their own thoughts, but both were thinking about the other. Kome was, of course, daydreaming about Ayala, but he would have been very surprised to know that she was thinking about him. Ayala was grateful for the home that Kouga and Kagome had given her. They were so nice! She loved being with Kagome, who was so straightforward and open. But it was their son that caught her attention. Kome was so obvious about his feelings for her, that she couldn't help but be flattered by his attentions. Plus the Wolf Demon was very good looking, almost a duplicate of his father. Tomorrow he promised to take to see the surrounding scenery and she was looking forward to being with him.

The night was alive with the sound of insects, the skitter of small rodent feet and the screech of owls, as the little village settled in for the night. The families were safely in their beds under strong roofs, with the wolf clan patrolling around the village. But a world away, across a forbidden border, things were not so pleasant, especially for three captives.


	11. Chapter 11: Crossing into Seiryuu

**Chapter 11 - Crossing into Seiryuu**

When Naraku returned to Ashara and the rest of his group, he realized that everyone would soon be looking for him and he had to leave the area immediately. He hoped that Mirago would keep their secret until at least a week had passed, but he could not depend on it. Once again, fortune favored the evil Demon and Mirago kept her secret for two long weeks. By the time the Village found out about Naraku, he was long gone.

Tomorrow they would cross into Seiryuu where they would be safe from the multitude of searchers since none of Otherworld's Protectors would be allowed to cross the border, even if they did manage to trace him here. But Naraku felt he could safely cross because of the gifts he brought and his assumption was correct. Seiryuu's border guards took them directly to the Emperor in his palace. Naraku and the Princess were brought before Emperor Balago while the two Demons were given rooms and the three hostages were placed into a locked room next to theirs.

Behind the Emperor stood a tall mage dressed in black. On his cheek was his mark of power. Naraku asked for asylum and offered Tasuki as a gift. Balago was delighted to have one of the Celestial Seven in his power and gave Naraku the run of the castle. The mage whispered that he needed to seal Tasuki and the Emperor nodded his assent. The mage came down from the dais to lead them to his rooms, asking the guards to bring Tasuki to him.

The mage's main room reminded Ashara of Bakura's tower since it was also filled with strange potions and devices. In the corner stood a boy of about thirteen, small markings around his eyes heralded his potential as a mage. Jodah glanced at the boy, "Balago would love to get his hands on my apprentice." The boy was startling beautiful, with golden skin, white-blond hair and huge lavender eyes. Naraku addressed Jodah while they waited for Tasuki to arrive. "I often wondered why Seiryuu was so strong a kingdom when it had such a weak ruler and now I know. You are the true power of Seiryuu."

The mage smiled and nodded. "The Emperor is a fool. But I am far from one. I know of you, Naraku, and know that you came to Seiryuu for more than just asylum. What do you truly want?"

"The Four Gods World."

Jodah laughed. "I like your candor! It will not be as easy to take as you think! The other two kingdoms, Byakko and Genbu, are already secretly under our control, but Suzaku will fight and it has powerful allies. Our control of Tasuki may stop them from summoning their guardian but it will not break the alliance. Suzaku has already been warned about you and Tasuki's capture. Raizen and Otherworld will protect them."

"I discarded that plan long ago, when Bankotsu died, and I always have a backup plan. Raizen will have problems of his own soon enough." Naraku indicated Princess Ashara, "Otherworld is broken and can give no help. Three of her most powerful males are dead or helpless. Sesshomaru lies in a coma. And Kouga and his wolves will stay close to their village, fearing my return."

"You have underestimated Otherworld. Sesshomaru is comatose but will come out of it soon. But I can stop that from happening with Ashara's help. But you have also underestimated the power of Otherworld's allies. Kouga may stay at home, but the Bobcat Demon clan is combing the mountains near Suzaku and will go to Suzaku's aid."

"The Bobcats will go to Raizen's aid, not Suzaku's." Naraku replied.

"You are mistaken. Tekken is the leader of the clan and he is Tasuki's father." Upon seeing the surprise on Naraku's face, he added, "It seems your Princess forgot to tell you a thing or two."

Naraku glared at Ashara, who flushed and stammered, "I ... I thought you knew."

Jodah continued, "And Otherworld has new allies, very powerful ones. But now so do you. I am tired of pretending to serve Balago. Who would he be replaced with? Yourself? No, that is not your style. You are like me, the power behind the throne. It is the Princess who would rule in his stead, and I would not mind standing behind her throne."

Ashara glared at the haughty mage. Wait until he tasted her power! As if reading her mind, Jodah told her, "Don't even try to use your power on me! I have had better than you try to enthrall me!" Turning back to Naraku, Jodah continued, "So you have other plans in the works for Raizen? You must mean an attack from the Eastern Lands. Do you have the ear of Mukuro?" Naraku nodded. "Ah, I see. Mukuro will try to take the Western Lands of Sesshomaru and Raizen will come to its aid, forsaking Suzaku. Very good! I like your mind!"

"You mentioned new allies. Do you know who they are?" Naraku asked.

Before Jodah could answer, guards came in with Tasuki. He was thrown roughly to the floor in front of Jodah. The mage motioned them to leave. As long as Ashara was standing there, Tasuki would not make a move against them, for she could merely command his obedience. Jodah nodded to Naraku and between the two of them, they roughly undressed him.

"He needs to be sealed. I do not trust the combination of Aara and Bakura. They might find a way to reach him. I will need his fluids. Princess, if you would use your power on him." Ashara nodded and slammed her power into her hapless male. Tasuki screamed as it hit him, and then the heat took him over.

Jodah told his apprentice, Malik, to fill two small bowls with Tasuki's fluids. Malik went to Tasuki and, without hesitation and with disturbingly expert fingers, stroked him until he released into one of the bowls. Ashara refused to even think about the relationship between him and Jodah. Since joining Naraku she had decided that there were things that she just didn't want to know about.

Tears ran down Tasuki's face; his Princess had done this to him. He had wanted to believe that Naraku deceived her, but now he knew the truth. Ashara was just as evil as Naraku. Had she ever cared for him at all? Then Malik took a sharp knife and punctured Tasuki's wrist, filling the other bowl with his blood. He took the bowls to Jodah to prepare. After a short while, Jodah carried a large bowl to Tasuki's side. Then Jodah rubbed the potion he had prepared onto the young man, head to toe, effectively sealing him. Now Bakura and Aara would never be able to find him.

After being sealed, Tasuki was dragged to a small, barren cell. The room was damp and chilled and his clothes had not been returned, but his trembling was not from the cold. It was partially from fear, but mostly from anger. He had been violated, although not in the usual sense, but in far more subtle way. He had been treated like a thing instead of a person. And worse of all, he was completely helpless. They were planning a war on Suzaku, his country, and there was nothing he could do to stop it!

Jodah could not spend more time with Naraku and Ashara or Balago would get suspicious. Naraku told the mage that he had something that would occupy the Emperor's time and Jodah told them to return here later. In the evening, under Naraku's commands, Ralf pulled Shilo from his sister's arms and took him to a separate room to prepare him.

A short time later, Naraku brought the Emperor to the room, showing him his waiting gift. Balago's eyes shone with avarice when he saw the young boy lying there. The emperor didn't know what excited him more, the young untouched body or the terror in the boy's eyes. Naraku bowed and left the Emperor to his pleasure. Then Naraku and Ashara went back to Jodah's main room. Malik was not in sight; the boy was probably asleep behind one of the closed doors. "You were telling us about new allies." Naraku began.

"Do you know of the Great Dragons?"

"I have heard the myths." Naraku replied. "And I have seen dragons. I removed a seal from one but it could not even kill Sesshomaru and was destroyed by the Dog Lord. Dragons are not as powerful as you think."

"The lesser dragons like Ryuukoysusei are not. But the Great Dragons are, and almost all of them sleep under the mountains. They take human form when they walk the lands and one is now living in the Castle of Otherworld. He is the great Red Dragon, Kyoryugeromaru."

Naraku was stunned. How did Jodah have this knowledge? A Great Dragon? There was no way he could fight against a Great Dragon, not if the myths were true. Their power was immense! "If this is true, there is no way for our plan to succeed!"

Jodah smiled and went to one of the closed doors and opened it, motioning them inside. The room was a simple bedroom, but on the unmade bed lay a young man, long black hair spread across the sheets. He was completely nude. Jodah sat next to him and absently fondled the man, who writhed under his hands, moaning softly. "We were digging into the mountain behind the palace, building another treasure chamber, when we found him. He tried to enthrall me, but I enchanted him instead. He lives only for my touch now. And will do whatever I tell him to."

The young man opened his eyes and looked at them. His yellow eyes seemed to be lit from within. "This is Rhuyogeromaru, the Black Dragon." Jodah said triumphantly, his eyes glittering, "It will be a war to end all wars! We will send the armies against Suzaku, and Aara will ask the Red Dragon for help. But they will not be expecting my Black Dragon. Suzaku will burn with his fires! I can't wait for it all to begin!"

Malik lay there in the darkness, listening to the voices on the other side of the door.

He liked hearing the voices, because they meant that Jodah was busy. But eventually the voices would stop and the inevitable would happen: Jodah would enter his room as he had done every night for six years now, ever since Malik first manifested powers and was torn from his mother's arms and taken to Jodah to apprentice. From the first day, Malik had seen how the mage had looked at him, the naked desire gleaming from his eyes. It had terrified him. Jodah waited only a few days before coming to him late one night, his voice soothing and gentle while his hands touched him. Five years later, Malik was very used to being Jodah's plaything, but he still hated every second of it, every touch, every stroke, and more than anything, every penetration. And today he had seen that same fearful look, that very first terror written on the face of a young boy. One of the captives of the human-Demon Naraku, he had seen the boy being washed and scented and knew that he was being readied to become Balago's next plaything. And the terrible memories had flooded back. If only he had full powers; if only he could somehow help!

Naraku and Ashara left Jodah's rooms, with Ashara returning to her own room. Naraku stood there in the hallway in front of the door where Shilo was. He wondered if the Emperor was still in there or if he had finished and left for his own rooms. He wanted to take Shilo back to his sister and wet-nurse. It had been several hours now and Balago should be done. Very slowly he cracked open the door and peeked in. Then immediately closed the door, his face ashen. By the gods! What had happened in there? Naraku ran back to Jodah's room and knocked on the door but there was no answer. He opened the door and knocked on the inner doors. Jodah came out of one of them, probably Malik's room, adjusting his clothes, anger showing on his face. "What is the meaning of this intrusion?"

"I looked into the room with the Emperor and Shilo and saw blood."

"There is always blood the first time. The Emperor is not gentle."

"Not like this!" Naraku said, his face tense and pale. Jodah nodded and together they went into the room, closing the door behind them. The room was a charnel house, blood was splashed everywhere. What had Balago done to the boy?

Naraku gingerly walked into the room, trying to avoid the blood but it was impossible. There were arcs of it splattered on the walls, pools on the floor, and the bed was soaked in it. How could one little boy have so much blood in him? And where was his body?

Jodah lifted his long robe and walked through the carnage to the other side of the bed. Then he saw him, sitting there against the far wall, his eyes huge with terror. He was covered in blood.

"What is he?" Jodah asked Naraku, pointing to the child against the wall.

Naraku followed the gesture and saw Shilo. He rushed to him and checked him. The boy whispered, "He tried to hurt me." None of the blood on his body was his own. Naraku looked around and saw the body, or rather the largest piece. The Emperor!

"What is he?" Jodah repeated.

"He is the son of Shido."

"Shido! A Blood Demon! You sent the Emperor to a Blood Demon!" Jodah cried. "The most dangerous Demon there is! You fool!"

"But he is a child. He can't even drink blood yet!"

"Obviously that isn't a problem! Blood Demons are incredibly strong and vicious. The Emperor didn't stand a chance. And now what are we going to do? We needed Balago in order to bring the armies together. They will march on his orders, not on mine! I cannot begin a war on Suzaku! You've ruined everything!" Jodah's voice rose to a shrill shriek.

Naraku glared at the mage, who was so angry he was almost foaming at the mouth. He mentally called Ralf, who came and carried Shilo away, to be cleaned and returned to his sister.

"Do you have people that can clean this room without talking to everyone? People you can trust?" He asked Jodah.

"Yes, but what good does that do?"

"Get them in here." Naraku commanded sharply. Then he concentrated and pulled out a Demon from his multitude. He was man-sized, but scaly. The Demon went to the larger piece of Balago and bent down and licked the blood. Then he stood up and his body morphed, turning into a perfect replica of Balago.

Jodah looked at the duplicate in amazement, "How?"

"He is a chameleon Demon. Not very bright, but he'll do for now. He can only stay in this form for about four hours at a time, and then he needs to return to his original form for about two hours, so we will have to be careful with him. But he should do the job for a while."

Malik watched the clean up through one of the servants' eyes. That was his secret power; it had manifested itself a year ago: the power to control minds, and he was very, very careful to hide it from Jodah. He now controlled three different servants and two guards, going in and out of their minds whenever he wanted to. When he released them, they didn't remember anything about his invasion, and went on their lives as usual. The boy had killed the Emperor! Not just killed him, but torn him to pieces! Maybe he could not only save the boy, but save himself as well. With Shilo's strength and his power, they just might be able to escape. It was worth a try! But it could only be Shilo; there was no way he could take Tasuki and the girl with them and not be caught. Malik separated his mind from the servant and lay there in the dark, planning. Planning for freedom.

Kaiba went into check on Sesshomaru as he did every morning. Kaiba took his wrist to check his pulse. It was barely registering! Something had happened. The Demon Lord was in an even deeper coma than before, barely alive! Kaiba called for the Princess and Bakura and both came swiftly to Sesshomaru's room. Kaiba told them what had happened. Bakura placed his hand on the Demon's forehead, trying to read him. "There is magic at work here!" He exclaimed. "This is the work of another mage!"

"Does Naraku have a mage in him? He once told me that he was half Demon-mage." Aara asked.

"Who knows what kind of Demons make up Naraku, but no, this is not the work of a mage stuck inside of a human body. This is a free mage. One who may be more powerful than I am."

"This is not good news. Naraku is powerful enough by himself. If he has allied himself with a mage… Do you know who it is? I thought you kept track of the mages." Aara asked Bakura.

"I do, but only the known mages in Demon World. In Otherworld, the only mages are Kaiba, Suzuki and myself. There has to be another mage but I don't know how he has kept his identity secret!"

"Unless he is not in the Demon World." Aara ventured, "Naraku has been heading northeast. Perhaps he was not heading to Demon World, but more east than north, to the Four Gods World. Except for Suzuka, that World's borders are closed to us."

"I cannot believe that a Demon Mage would ally himself with Seiryuu, and this power definitely comes from Demon Mage. If I can find out anything, I will let you know." Bakura stood up and then turned to Kaiba, "I will try to break the spell, but I fear that Sesshomaru is truly lost to us now."


	12. Chapter 12: The escape

**Chapter 12 - The Escape**

Jodah, Naraku and the false Emperor were going to inspect the troops, a journey which would require an overnight stay. It might be the only time when Malik could act. He sent one of his controls, a servant, to talk to Shilo's sister.

"I bring a message from one who wants to help you," the servant whispered in Lido's ear, while pretending to clean around her. Lido looked at her, eyes narrowed.

How could she trust anyone? But it might be her only hope, and what did she have to lose? She nodded. "Naraku and my master will be gone over night. I will come for the boy and attempt to escape with him. I wish I could take you with me, but I can't. My name is Malik and I am a boy of thirteen with blond hair. Please trust me and have the boy ready. I will come as soon as they leave and when the other Blood Demons are not around."

Lido nodded and the servant finished cleaning and left the room without another word. Ralf came in a few minutes later to check on her and left. His vigilance was slack since he felt nothing could happen in the Emperor's palace. Lido carefully explained to Shilo that he was going to try to escape and return to his father. The boy started crying, not wanting to leave her side, but she insisted. She made him feed from his wet-nurse as much as he could. There would probably be very hungry days ahead for him. She prayed that he would make it to safety, she didn't care if her life was forfeit just as long as her little brother made it.

It wasn't until after nine that night when everything finally began to quiet down. Even thought Jodah and Naraku were not in the palace, Ralf kept going to see Lido and Shilo. In desperation, Lido exposed part of her breast, making it look like a careless accident, and Ralf took the bait. He carried her to his room, leaving Shilo alone. The guard under Malik's control watched the Blood Demon take the female to his room.

When two guards opened his door, Shilo cringed in the corner. From behind them, Malik appeared. Quickly, he took the boy and, walking between the guards, left the palace by a hidden side door. After sending the guards back inside, he took Shilo and quickly went into the dark night. He had taken a potion from Jodah's shelves, which would erase their scents and covered them both in it. It would fade after a day, but it might just give them enough time. After a few hours, they stopped to rest. The boy was tired and frightened. Malik had given him one of his own cloaks for the sun, and Shilo sat there huddled in it. It was hard to believe that this sweet-looking little boy had torn the Emperor to pieces. Malik got them going again in a very short time; he knew that it would not be long before Shilo would be missed.

The next morning, Tyrrl walked into the room and immediately noticed that both of the captives were missing. He rushed into Ralf's room and found him asleep with Lido next to him. He roughly shook the Demon awake. "Where is the boy?" Ralf was on his feet instantly and together they searched the room. Shilo was gone. They mentally reported back to Naraku, who was furious as their stupidity. But he and Jodah were trapped; they could not leave the false Emperor. Naraku wanted to be near him, because of the low intelligence of the beast and the time limit, and Jodah had to relay the Emperor's words to the soldiers. They would not be able to return until late afternoon. How could the boy have gotten away? He must be in the palace! Naraku had the Blood Demons search the entire palace, first questioning Lido. Ralf questioned her, using his fists instead of words, but she refused to say anything. He realized that her open dress had not been an accident and he was angry that he had fallen for such an obvious ruse! They gave up on Lido and searched everywhere they could, but found nothing.

As soon as Jodah and Naraku got back to the palace, Jodah found that his apprentice, his beautiful Malik, was also missing. Had someone taken them both? The thought never even occurred to him that Malik might have run away but it immediately occurred to Naraku. He had the Emperor order guards and soldiers to search the lands to the south, the way to Otherworld. It was the only logical direction.

Malik couldn't believe his luck. The second night was beginning and no one had found them. But they were not making very good time, Shilo stumbling as he walked. He was tired, hungry and very frightened. He could not eat anything but mother's milk and there was nothing like that around here. He would just have to go hungry until they reached Otherworld and safety. Malik hoped that the Demon child would make it. Just a little over two weeks ago, Shilo was living in luxury, the only son of the Lord of the Southern Lands. Then he watched his mother murdered, his sister and himself taken hostage by men he thought were friends, and brought to a strange world. He didn't know whether his father was alive or not. He was trying very hard to keep up with Malik and not to just give up.

They were starting to go into the mountain range that was between Seiryuu and Otherworld. One more night and a day, and they would hit the border. A extremely guarded border. Suddenly, they heard the tramp of soldiers' boots. Malik peered out from behind the rocks and saw a company of soldiers, led by the two Blood Demons. They were found!

Malik took the rest of the potion and put as much as there was on Shilo, "You must go alone to Otherworld, to safety." The boy started to cry, shaking his head, and holding onto Malik tightly. Malik pried his fingers off his arm, "There is no choice. I will try to give you as much time as I can. Go in this direction," he pointed to the south, "Sneak past anyone who is not a Wolf Demon. If you see one of them, go to them and tell them to take you to Princess Aara. Can you remember that?"

Shilo nodded, and Malik continued, "Tell Aara this, you must remember my words.. tell her: Ashara is bad, Tasuki is alive, and Rhu is the Black Dragon. Repeat it to me, Shilo."

The young boy took a deep breath, and whispered, "Ashara bad, Tasuki alive, Rhu dragon."

"That's good enough. Keep repeating it so you don't forget. It is very, very important." He pushed the boy forward on the trail, then added, "Shilo, if anyone tries to hurt you or capture you, pretend he is the Emperor and do the same thing to them."

The boy looked at Malik, his eyes filled with guilt and fear, but he nodded. He brushed the tears from his face and went into the dark. Malik moved in the opposite direction, trying to give Shilo as much time as possible. After only a short distance, the Blood Demons noticed his movement and pounced on him. "Your master is waiting for you," Ralf growled in his ear. They searched the area for Shilo, but the little Demon had already fled, and the potion kept his scent from them.

Malik was taken back to the palace bound hand and foot to be thrown on the ground before Jodah. In the background stood Naraku and Ashara. The mage's eyes were furious, he had been betrayed by his own apprentice, a boy whom he had cared for and nurtured. He couldn't understand why Malik had run away and why his eyes were filled with hatred now. "How did you do it? Who helped you?" Naraku asked. But the boy refused to answer.

"I will get him to talk," Jodah said, pulling a whip from a peg on the wall. Malik cringed but his expression never changed.

"No, that will not work. He hates you. The more you hurt him, the more he will hate." Naraku said, and added, "There is another way." He pulled Ashara forward and said to her, "Bind him to you."

"He is a child!" she exclaimed.

"Please, my Princess. It is the only way to make him tell us his secrets." Naraku purred, stroking her cheek, "For me, please do this."

She glared at Naraku, angry at him for wanting her to bind a child and for using caresses to get his own way! But what choice did she have. They needed information and if she didn't bind him, Jodah would surely torture it out of him. At least the boy was beautiful! She poured lust and desire into him and Malik moaned in response. Naraku picked Malik up and took him to the Princess' room. He untied the boy and then took his clothes off, leaving him naked and ready. "Find out what he knows. And find out how he did it." Then Naraku left her with him.

Ashara looked at the boy, "Thirteen isn't that young!" she said to herself. And he was so beautiful. "Be grateful that it is my touch and not Jodah's. You obviously hated his touch. You will love mine," she told him.

This was nothing like being with Jodah. Ashara touch was gentle and his body began to ache for it. She bound him to her alone and then whispered in his ear as she stroked him, "How did you escape so easily?"

Malik couldn't stop himself from answering, "I went out with guards."

"Guards helped you?"

"I control them. It is my power. I can control people without them knowing it."

She gave him a small squeeze and he quivered under her hand. "Oh, please!" he breathed. She smiled, and asked him, "Whom do you control?"

"Three servants and two guards."

When she was finished with him, she went to Naraku to report. Malik was left unbound, but he would not leave her side. She knew that for a fact. His binding was much stronger than the males she had received from her mother. Unless she was standing to next him, Tasuki might break for freedom and Bankotsu had attacked her, but Malik never would voluntarily leave her.

Shilo traveled by night, but his eyes could able to see in nearly absolute darkness. By day he hid in deep caves, cold, tired and hungry. He tried not to cry but it was hard. The only reason he slept was because of pure exhaustion. He had noticed numerous soldiers patrolling the area just ahead. It must be the border.

The little boy waited until nearly midnight before he got the courage to make a run for it. Remembering a game of hide and seek he had once played with his father, he traveled from rock to rock, not realizing that he was moving so fast he was only a wisp of blackness in the dark night. He crossed the border easily. Now to he needed to find the find Wolf Demons. He had never seen a Wolf Demon, but had heard about them from his father. They usually traveled with true wolves. After leaving the mountains, he went into deep forest. Again daylight came and he hid, still not wanting to take a chance of being seen. He was so hungry! It was now three days since he had eaten, which was a long time for a little boy on a purely liquid diet. If he could have tolerated blood, he would have hunted down a small animal. But there was nothing to do but bear the empty feeling in his stomach.

When it got dark, Shilo once again set out. After a few hours, he saw a flickering light: a campfire. He crept towards the light and sitting around the fire were three Demons. Suddenly he heard a growl behind him and he whirled around, face-to-face with a four wolves. Wolf Demons! He called out to them, startling the Demons who immediately ran towards his voice. He asked them to take him to Princess Aara.

The Wolf Demons knew that a boy was one of the captives of Naraku; so they quickly broke camp and carried Shilo to Kaede's Village. It was much closer than the Castle and Kouga could carry him to the Castle in less than half the time. The Wolf Demons ran the rest of the night, trading off carrying the boy so that they could keep up the pace. It was mid-afternoon when they reached the Village and they took him directly to Kouga's home. Kouga was patrolling with Miroku, but Kome was home. He was sent to look for his father.

Kagome cradled the worn out little boy, peering at her with huge eyes in a pale face. He whispered his name to her and she stroked his forehead as he leaned heavily on her shoulder. She could hear his tummy rumbling with hunger and since she knew he was a Blood Demon, she asked him what type of blood he could eat. He shook his head. "I can't eat blood," he murmured, almost asleep in her arms.

"What do you eat?" Kagome asked, wondering why a Blood Demon couldn't drink blood.

"Milk."

"We can milk a goat or a cow for you," she said, calling for the Wolf Demons.

"No, not them. From my mommy." Suddenly it came back to him that his mother would never feed him or comfort him again, and he started to cry. Kagome hugged Shilo tightly, while she asked the wolves to bring Mirosuki to her house. She was a village woman who was still nursing her own son.

Sango and Kaoru arrived and helped make a bed in the corner of the great room. Ayala was staying in Kagome's only guest room, and she really didn't want Shilo to be alone. Mirosuki came immediately upon hearing the wolves' tale and put Shilo on her lap. It didn't matter to her that he was a seven-year-old Demon; she only knew that he was a hungry child and her mother's heart went out to him. He hungrily ate, but never once hurt her with his fangs. Her milk didn't fill him, but at least he was appeased. Kagome thanked Mirosuki, who promised to return when she was needed, and put Shilo to bed, tucking the covers around the small boy. The exhausted, frightened little boy fell asleep instantly.

Kouga and Kome returned shortly thereafter, and Kouga immediately sent out the entire wolf pack to search the area where Shilo was found, just in case there was someone with him. How did a little boy manage to escape from Naraku and two Blood Demons? Did Tasuki or Lido escape also? Kouga had many questions, but realized that he needed to get Shilo to the Castle and Shido as soon as possible. He and Kome would carry the boy, taking turns, at full speed. Kouga let the boy sleep for a few more hours while he and his son ate and then they both took a brief nap. It was dusk when they were ready to leave. Mirosuki returned and fed Shilo before they started their journey. Fortunately her own son was old enough to eat solid food and not having his mother's milk for a couple of feedings would not hurt him.

Kouga kissed his mate goodbye, picked up Shilo, and then he and his son raced down the road to the Castle. Dawn was just beginning to break when they arrived at the Castle. Neither Kouga nor Kome had taken more than a few minutes break and they were exhausted. Kurama rushed to the gate when he saw them coming and Kouga placed the boy in his arms. Kouga was so tired that the Wolf Demon stumbled and almost fell. He had spent the day patrolling around the village and then had run all the way here. Kurama sent him and Kome to room to rest, promising to take care of Shilo. Aara ran down the stairs just as the Wolves were starting up the stairs, and she thanked them as they passed her. Shido came running after her, practically leaping down the stairs. He took his son in his arms, holding him very tightly, with tears running down his face. He had been terrified that he would never see his son again!

Kurama sent the guards to procure a wet nurse from the nearest village. Then they patiently waited for Shido to release his son. Aara knelt before the boy and brushed the hair from his eyes. "Are you the Princess? Princess Aara?" he asked.

"Yes, I am. Who told you to ask for me?"

"Malik."

Who was Malik? He had been found a day from Kaede's Village, but they had no idea in which direction he had been traveling. Hopefully Shilo knew but he was only seven years old and traveling through unfamiliar land. Had he been traveling with Malik?

"Malik told me to tell you something," Shilo began, knitting his brow as he tried to remember the exact words, "Ashara bad." Aara looked at Kurama. This was not good news, but deep in her heart she was not surprised by his words. "Tasuki is alive. And Rhu is dragon." His blue eyes were on her, hoping he got the words right and she understood.

"Thank you, dearest," she told him, kissing his forehead, and then stood up. She asked a guard to bring Kyo down. Tasuki was alive! That was good! But the last words bothered her. She feared what they might mean!

When Kyo arrived, she told him Shilo words and he turned ashen. "Rhu? Are you sure that was the name?" The boy nodded and then suddenly remembered the correct words, "Rhu is a black dragon!"

Kyo ruffled his blond hair and stood up, his face grim. "Rhuyogeromaru or Rhu is also a Great Dragon, only he is black in his dragon form while I am red."

Shido then asked his son, "Lido? Is your sister alright?"

The boy nodded, "I think so. She was okay the last time I saw her, but Ralf took

her away into his room."

"Shilo, where were you? Where is your sister?"

Suddenly, the memories came flooding back and Shilo started to sob, "I killed someone, Daddy."

Shido blanched. What was this? "It's alright, Shilo. Tell me what happened."

The boy related his tale, tears running down his face steadily, "Ralf took me to a room with a big basin and the women washed me and put smells on me, and then they took me a room and put me on a bed. They didn't give me any clothes, Daddy. Then Naraku came in with this man, they called him Emperor and Naraku left him there with me." His voice faded and he said something that could not be heard. Shido asked him to repeat it. Very quietly, Shido said, "He tried to hurt me. He tried to do what Tyrrl does to you. But he is not my partner. He was mean. He made me mad."

Shido's face was chalk-white, and his eyes were completely feral and filled with seething hatred. Naraku had tried to have his son raped! Just one more sin that Naraku would pay for! He ached for revenge. He forcibly calmed himself down, and turned back to his son, "You did the right thing. No one should ever touch you until you are partnered in a few years. And then no one, not even your partner, should ever hurt you." Kurama bent down to the boy, "Did you hear the Emperor's name?" Shilo shook his head. "Do you know what country you were in?" Another shake. "Malik told me to go always go this way." He pointed south with his finger.

A crowd had now gathered around them, and Tekki spoke up. "Going north from Kaede's Village is the kingdom of Seiryuu and it is ruled by Emperor Balago who is known for his taste for young boys. It means that Naraku is in Seiryuu."

"That is why they took Tasuki. With Tasuki, they would get the Emperor's help, by giving him one of the Celestial Seven. But now the Emperor is dead. We need to ask Suzaku if they have heard any news from Seiryuu." Kurama added. "Now, Shilo, who is Malik?"

"He was a boy about partner age." Kurama looked at Shido and he interpreted "thirteen." Shilo continued, "He talked to us through a servant. Then two guards took us out of the palace. He wanted to escape also, but they… they caught him. He got caught so I could escape. Daddy, will he be all right? He saved my life. He wanted to save the others, but he couldn't." Shilo started to cry again. Shido picked up his son, saying "I am taking him to bed. He is exhausted and frightened."

Aara nodded and watched the pair go on the stairs. What a brave little boy! And now they had another person to rescue: Malik.


	13. Chapter 13: Kenru

**Chapter 13 - Kenru**

The Princess was in her garden sitting under the shade of the trees, but it was not one of her males on her lap, but Shilo. He was sleeping in her arms, his head on her shoulder. She kissed his forehead; he was such a sweet child. She picked up his small hand and examined it. She could not understand how this small boy could have torn a grown man to pieces.

From the edge of the garden, Shido watched the Princess with his son. His son had taken to the Princess and usually could be found at her side. Shido walked towards them and the Princess smiled at him. He knelt beside her and tousled his son's silken hair. This was what he had been missing, the feeling of family. He stretched to her mouth and kissed her, lightly at first, then deeper. He put one arm around her shoulders and the other on her arm, encircling his son. When he parted, she was looking at him with sad eyes.

"I wish I could give you what you need, Shido, but I can't," she said quietly. "I can't be your family."

Shido sat down beside her, sighing. She was right; she could not take the place of Liho, as much as he would like her to. He felt an aching emptiness inside; he had lost not only his mate but his partner as well. His daughter was still missing and might not be alive. But he knew that he had to go on, he had put his life on hold long enough. It was time to go home.

When Kenru arrived two days ago, Toyna instantly became her shadow, following her everywhere. When would the boy realize she was not interested in him? Or anyone! She was walking quickly through the hallways, in a wing she had never been in before, trying to elude her persistent suitor, when she collided with someone and landed hard on her butt. She looked up at him, straight into angry green eyes and messy short red-gold hair. "You should look where you are going!" he said sharply, as he pulled her to her feet. "Well, I didn't do it on purpose!" Kenru retorted.

Suddenly, the young man started laughing, "I'm sure you didn't! Sorry, I growled at you; my day has not gone well."

Kenru smiled back, "I am Kenru."

"And I am Tekki," he answered, adding, "Tasuki's half brother."

"Oh, you are from the Bobcat Clan, right? I heard that his brother had come to help."

"Well, I'm not helping much! Now that we know that Tasuki is in Seiryuu, there is not much we can do except wait. We can't exactly march into Seiryuu and start a war. That is exactly what they want."

Over the next couple of weeks, Kenru found herself more and more in the company of Tekki, whether by chance or design, she didn't know. But she didn't mind his company. She didn't mind it at all. Tekki was usually happy and upbeat, although frustrated by his inability to help rescue his brother. She was very drawn to the Bobcat, but she couldn't tell if he felt the same. At least he didn't avoid her.

She found herself sitting next to him at dinner, sitting across from Toyna, who never took his eyes off of her. Kenru ignored the Ice Demon as she usually did. He was a pest! Instead she talked happily with Tekki. Toyna watched them in silence, his eyes narrow. He couldn't understand what Kenru was doing; he was there for the taking, hopelessly in love with the girl, and she was flirting with this miserable Bobcat.

Shido profusely thanked the guard who had volunteered to be his feeder after he finished his last feed. The guard bowed and left. He looked over at the wet nurse who feeding his son. While she finished, he packed the rest of his things. It was almost dusk and he wanted to get started. The wet nurse began to stand up, letting Shilo slip from her lap, and Shido also thanked her, grateful for her kindness to his son. He put a cloak around his son, strapped his traveling bag to his back and then picked up Shilo. "Ready to go home?" he asked. The little boy nodded clasping his arms tightly around his father's neck.

At the front door stood Kurama, InuYasha and Vash. They all wished him a safe journey and promised to keep looking for his daughter. They would keep in touch and let him know anything that was happening with Naraku. At the gate stood the Princess. Shilo stretched out his arms for a last hug, and she kissed his cheek. Shido kissed her farewell, but there was nothing more to say. Then he took off, a rapidly vanishing blur. Aara stood there, her eyes brimming with tears. She prayed that Shido would find happiness again.

One afternoon, a few days after Shido left, Tekki announced that he was going for a run on the surrounding hills, and asked if anyone wanted to accompany him. No one took him up on his offer, everyone busy with other errands, so Kenru volunteered. Fortunately, Toyna was in his own wing, doing some task that his father had set him to, and couldn't chime in. Tekki and Kenru started on their trek. She knew that she would slow him down, but he didn't seem to mind. After a couple of hours of walking, Tekki called for a break and threw himself down in the middle of little glen. Flowers surrounded the edges and tall trees formed a natural wall. The sun fell dappled through the trees and covered them in moving shadows.

It was a perfect little hideaway.

Kenru sat next to the Demon, watching him. She was falling in love with him, something she had never even dreamed of doing. But the young Bobcat was fun to be with and full of life, just like she was. And he was very handsome, with his red-gold hair and deep green eyes. But she had no idea how Tekki felt about her.

As if in answer to her unspoken question, Tekki suddenly sat up, startling her, and looked into her violet eyes. "I like you," he said, and then his mouth kissed her softly, just a bare touch of his lips. When she didn't stop him, he reached for her mouth again, this time crushing her lips to his own. Kenru suddenly found herself awash with emotion. He was kissing her, really kissing her! She slipped her arms around his shoulders and held him close.

For long minutes, Tekki kissed her hungrily, with Kenru returning his kisses with equal ardor. His hands began to explore, and found her breast. She trembled at his touch, but allowed it. His mouth never left hers, while his fingers gently teased her nipple to attention. Then his hand dipped lower, slipping under her skirt. When she felt his hand there, she knew she had to make up her mind. If she stopped him now, she might lose him forever. She was in love with him but did she want to mate with him? Did she want to join her future to his? She felt his fingers probing and allowed him to continue. She realized that the answer to her questions was a resounding yes! Then all coherent thought left her as his fingers found what he had been searching for and she arched involuntarily as he rubbed a tiny nub between his fingers. Kenru fell into a sea of raw emotion, lost between the sensation of drowning in his mouth and all her nerves coming alive by what he was doing with his hand.

Tekki teased the girl until she was on the verge of her first pinnacle, and then released his own very aroused piece of flesh. Suddenly Kenru arched violently, her body in spasms with her very first climax. Tekki swiftly plunged himself into her and began to thrust in perfect time to her movements. Deeper and deeper he drove until he too fell into the sweet oblivion of release, and gripping each other tightly, fingers digging deep into flesh, they rode out the passion together.

Finally, they lay there side by side, Tekki drowsing in the warm sun. Kenru ran her fingers through his hair, "I love you," she whispered. "I am proud to be your mate."

Tekki opened his eyes, "Mate?" he questioned. "We had sex. We didn't mate. Bobcats don't mate."

Kenru looked stricken. "What? But when two people make love, they mate for life."

"I am not a human, I am a Demon," he said sitting up. "And Demons don't mate for life."

"Kouga did. And so did all of the Princess' males."

"Kouga is a Wolf Demon and they are the exception. And the Princess' males are bound with her power. Most Demons don't mate; they just take according to their needs. No Bobcat has ever mated."

Kenru stared at him, her eyes filling with tears. "I thought…" she began, and then stopped. She had assumed that they were mating because of Kouga and Kagome.

"I'm sorry you misunderstood. If having sex mated me, you would not be my mate. You are not the first. We Bobcats use each other freely." Tekki said, as her tears spilled, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I like you a lot but it is not the way we are."

Tears fell steadily down her cheeks and he took her in his arms. She did feel so good in his arms! He had been with many females before, but never did one feel like this. Did he really want the life his father had, no commitments, and children with a dozen different females? Sex with a Bobcat female was not that pleasant..sure his needs were satiated, but there was also a lot of pain from sharp claws and playful nips. When he finished with a female of his own kind, his back and shoulders were usually covered in blood.

Thunder Demons didn't usually mate either, yet Hiten had found joy with the human woman, Serafin. Maybe he should rethink this. But he couldn't take her home to live the caves of his home, and he didn't want to live in her sleepy little village. Maybe he could become a Protector and live with her in the Castle. He shook his head suddenly What was he thinking? Was he actually considering mating for the rest of his life with a human girl? But all he could think about that the wonderful feelings he had experienced in her arms and he wanted more. He wanted lots more! His heart ached to hear her crying. Torn with indecision, Tekki did nothing.

Finally, Kenru stopped crying and stood up. "I am sorry. It is my own fault for assuming. Can we return to the Castle?"

Tekki nodded and they walked back to the Castle in silence. Once there, Kenru went directly to her room. Tekki returned to his own room, not knowing what to do. If he went to her, it would no longer be a brief encounter, but a lifetime commitment. He sat there in darkness lost in a turmoil of conflicting thoughts.

Kenru fell on her bed, crying softly. Finally she cried herself to sleep. She woke to a hand on her shoulder. Tekki had returned to her! She turned over happily and looked straight into Toyna's eyes. "Why have you been crying? Did Tekki do something to you?" the Ice Demon demanded angrily.

"Go away!" Kenru said wearily, getting up and shoving him out to the balcony. He must have entered through the open door. "Just go away."

"No! I want to know what happened! If he hurt you…"

"It is none of your business!" she said, her voice rising in anger. "Just leave me alone!" She again tried to push the Ice Demon away, but he refused to budge, determined to find out what had happened.

"You heard her. Leave her alone." Came a voice from the edge of the balcony. Tekki crouched there, balanced on the narrow ledge, having leapt to her balcony when he heard her angry voice.

Suddenly, the whole balcony grew cold as Toyna iced up, "What did you do to her?" he snarled.

"Just stay away from her." Tekki growled, his eyes turning feral. "She is mine!"

Kenru's heart skipped a beat! Did Tekki just say that she was his?

Before she could say anything, the two Demons went for each other, Toyna using ice shards as sharp blades and Tekki using his claws. "Stop!" Kenru screamed at them both. Suddenly, two bodies flew past her. Tekki found himself held fast by InuYasha's incredibly strong arms and Souten was holding Toyna firmly. The two boys were still growling and snarling, trying to break free. Princess Aara walked onto the balcony with Kurama at her side.

"Stop this now!" she commanded, using her power at the same time, and both Demons immediately stopped growling and stood meekly before her. She looked at the pair and then at Kenru, feeling their emotions. Both boys had numerous cuts and scratches, but they had already stopped bleeding and would be completely healed by tomorrow. She motioned for InuYasha and Souten to leave, and then nodded to Kurama. He smiled an enigmatic smile and then left also. Then she took Toyna's hand and led him away, leaving Kenru and Tekki standing there alone.

Princess Aara took Toyna to her daughter's room and knocked softly on her door. She told him to wait for her in the hall and then went inside. Toyna knew he was in trouble, but couldn't understand why he being brought to Princess Vara. Was Vara going to punish him? He stood there nervously waiting for the door to open. Even if the punishment from the Princess was not that bad, he still had to face his father. And that would not be pleasant! A few minutes later, the door opened and the Princess beckoned him inside. Aara gently touched his cheek, "My Sweet Toyna, you are in love with a girl who doesn't care for you at all."

"I will win her! I know I will," he protested, his cheeks reddening.

"No, I have read her feelings and she loves Tekki."

Toyna was crestfallen; he had been sure that he could make Kenru fall in love with him. The Princess kissed his forehead, and then left the room, leaving him with Vara. Vara came to him and wrapped her arms around the young Ice Demon. "Don't worry. You will not feel the loss much longer." He looked at her in surprise, what was she saying? And then she used her power on him. Immediately he felt it and trembled violently as his body responded to her power. She removed his clothing carefully, her hands running over his smooth, strong body. His eyes never left her face. She guided him to the bed and there claimed her second male. She bound him to herself and then to Souten. This binding was not as unplanned as it may have seemed, even though the timing was spontaneous. Vara had discussed whom to bind with her mother and, unbeknownst to Toyna, he was high on the list. The only reason she had waited was because of Toyna's crush on Kenru. If Kenru had returned his love, she would not have bound him.

Toyna lay next to his Princess, Kenru now just a vague memory. He was completely happy, not because of her power, but because he was desired by the beautiful Princess. She had chosen him and that was what he wanted more than anything. He did not have the foundation that Souten or Kome had; he was well aware that his parents did not love each other like Kouga and Kagome or Hiten and Serafin, and, more than anything, he wanted to be loved. Now he was! He wrapped his arms around the Princess and kissed her. She smiled at her newest male; she had always been fond of the Ice Demon and was very happy that he was now hers.

After the Princess left with Toyna, Kenru faced Tekki. He was still standing on the balcony, a little embarrassed by the scene he had made.

"Did you mean it?" she asked.

"Mean what?"

"You said I was yours. Did you mean what you said"?

Tekki looked at her; he had not realized that he had uttered those words. He only knew that when he had thought she was in danger, he had felt a terrible need to protect her. She was waiting for his reply, patiently standing there, waiting for him to speak. All it would take was one word and his entire life's course would change. And she would be his. All his. Forever. He whispered the word: "Yes."

Kenru smiled at her Bobcat and opened her arms to him. He went to her, and embraced her tightly. Then he swept her into his arms and took her to her bed. Their bed! As he set her down on it, she said to him, "Say the words. I need to hear them from you." He smiled, knowing what she meant, "You are my mate. Forever." He kissed her, murmuring, "I love you, Kenru."


	14. Chapter 14: Sorrow and joy

**Chapter 14 - Sorrow & Joy**

Rin lay there in the dark, trying hard not to cry. In only a couple of weeks, Kenru had met and mated Tekki. Kome was smitten with Ayala, and Shippo had returned grown up and was spending all his time with her sister, Mirago. Pregnant, abandoned Mirago had someone who cared for her! Keiki had shown no romantic interest in her at all, and now it was likely that he was already mated. Unable to hold back the tears any longer, she broke down sobbing.

Suddenly she heard a soft knock on her door. Someone had heard her sobs! A male voice asked if she was all right. She tried to say she was okay but her voice broke. The door edged open and the voice asked if he could come in. She didn't recognize his voice. When he didn't get a reply, Kiri slipped into the room. Rin looked at him. Not him! He would tell his father that she had been crying. She moaned and buried her head in the pillows. Kiri came and sat on the edge of the bed, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "Is there something I can do?"

"No." she said, her voice muffled in the pillow.

"I am sorry to see you so sad," he continued, trying to figure out what he could do or say to make her happy. She was so pretty, but never once had he seen her smile. She always looked so unhappy. She turned her head and looked into his green eyes. Did his mother have green eyes? Did Keiki's mate have green eyes? She started to sob again and once more burrowed into the pillow.

Kiri was aghast by her reaction to him! He was obviously the cause of her tears! He tried to think of what he could have done to her. He had barely spoken to the girl, although it was not from lack of trying. She always seemed to be avoiding him. "If I did something, please let me know. I would never hurt you. Please…"

Rin just continued to sob, helplessly wallowing in self-pity. Kiri patted her shoulder and back in a desperate attempt to soothe her. What had he done to make the girl this miserable? Finally he gave up and left her alone. Kiri dejectedly walked to back to his father's room. When Keiki saw his son's face, he raised an eyebrow, "What is wrong? You look depressed."

"I was walking past Rin's room and heard her crying. Father, I think I did something. She looks at me and cries harder. I can't think what I could have done." He said miserably.

Keiki looked at his son in concern. He had not seen the girl in days, ever since Kiri arrived and he missed her. He liked Rin very much she reminded him of Kalire, not her looks because Kalire was blond like the great majority of the unicorns, but her quiet demeanor. Now to hear that she was crying, this was sad news indeed. He didn't think it had anything to do with Kiri, but something was definitely upsetting her.

There was a knock on the door and Kiri went to answer it. Princess Aara came in the room, to ask Keiki how he was doing. He was tired of being an invalid, but could not take a chance of re-injuring his leg. In man form, he didn't put that much strain on his leg, but in his unicorn form, his slender leg would take a lot of weight and had to be completely healed before he could even attempt to transform. Kaiba had promised that the splint could come off in a few more weeks.

"Princess," Keiki began, "Do you know why Rin is so sad?'

Princess Aara was taken back by the question. She knew, but not because Rin had confided in her, but because of her power to read emotions. "Yes, but it is not my place to say anything."

Kiri asked her, "I did something, didn't I? I didn't mean to."

She looked into the eyes of the young unicorn. "No, Kiri, you did nothing."

"But I don't understand. She cries when she sees me. I must have done something."

The Princess shook her head, and got up to leave, "I promise that you did nothing." And then she hurriedly left the room. How could she tell Keiki that the girl had fallen in love with him? She was sure the unicorn was mated. He had mentioned "Kalire" once in passing and she had felt the deep emotions that her name brought to him.

Kaiba was also worried about Rin. She had not attended her studies for the last two days. He decided to check on Rin himself. At her door, he knocked and heard "Go away!" through the door. He knocked again, this time announcing who he was. He heard glass breaking and rushed in the room in alarm. He found Rin picking up the pieces of a vase she had accidentally knocked over while getting up. Her eyes were red from crying.

Kaiba bent and helped her pick up the glass. Rin stopped, the pieces falling from her fingers, and sat down on the bed, her head hanging. Kaiba placed the glass shards to the floor and sat next to her, his arm around his young apprentice's

shoulders. She buried her head in his shoulder and sobbed miserably. Finally, she brought her head up, reaching for Kleenex. "Am I stupid?" she asked.

"What? No, of course not. Why would you think that?"

"I fell in love with someone that doesn't even care for me, and is mated. I am such a fool!" she wailed.

Kaiba thought for a second, then replied, "You could do better than Tekki, I'm sure."

"Tekki? Who is talking about Tekki?"

"Oh, you said he was mated, I thought…" the mage ended lamely. He was not good at this.

"It is Keiki that I love," she said miserably. "And he is already mated, he has a son!"

"Keiki? Oh, Keiki. Ah...well….oh." Kaiba couldn't think of a helpful thing to say. Rin was in love with the unicorn? Kaiba sighed, not sure what to do or say. He patted her on the back, which reminded her of Kiri's attempts to soothe her. She started crying harder. Kaiba snatched his hand away, afraid to touch her. He would ask the Princess to help him with Rin's sadness.

Kaiba decided to approach the Princess tomorrow after breakfast. It was long after breakfast when he gingerly broached the subject. He was well aware of the fact that she did not like to get involved with the romantic affairs of the Castle.

"I cannot get involved in this, Kaiba. I know her feelings only because of my powers and she has not made them known to Keiki. He might well be mated already. I only got involved with Toyna because the boys were coming to blows and Vara wanted to bind Toyna." Aara's reply was about what Kaiba expected.

Kaiba sighed heavily and left the table. He had no idea what he was going to do. Rin was incapable of studying when she was this miserable, and he didn't want to see his apprentice so unhappy. He tried to think of someone who could help him with this, but there was no one he could think of. Kurama wouldn't get involved, Hiei...well, that was not even feasible, InuYasha was too young and immature, Kyo.. oh gods, Kyo! There was no one to could ask advice from! Kaiba stood there in the hallway trying to figure out what he was going to do, when Toyna suddenly rounded the corner at a full speed. He barely missed colliding with the mage.

"Kaiba! You've got to come! My mother!"

Kaiba told Toyna to get Rin and ask her to bring the birthing supplies to Yukina's room. All thoughts of Rin's misery evaporated. This was a real emergency! Kaiba ran to Yukina's wing. Touya knelt by his mate's side, holding tightly to her hand. Yukina was covered in perspiration and obviously in a lot of pain. Touya's face was tense, filled with fear for his mate. Her last pregnancy had been very hard and painful, followed by a long recovery. Touya would have been quite happy not to put Yukina through this again, but she had let herself get pregnant, desperately wanting a daughter.

Kaiba put his hands over her distended stomach, sensing the baby's well being. Unfortunately, since birth was a natural event, there was nothing to heal. Afterward, if there was tearing or bleeding, he could heal those injuries. But until the baby was born, Yukina would just have to endure the pain.

Rin came in a few minutes later, followed by Toyna, both of them ladened with supplies. The warm birthing tub was out of the question, you don't put an Ice Demon in warm water. Soon word got around about the pending birth, and Hiei walked quietly into the room. His face was ashen. He did not want his sister to suffer and would have gladly taken her pain if he could. Princess Aara stood near the door with Kurama. Yukina had another contraction, her breath coming out in a hiss between her gritted teeth. Kaiba checked her gently, careful to respect her privacy, and found to his dismay that she was barely dilated. This was not good. Her contractions were already severe. This meant that it would be another long, drawn out delivery.

Hours passed, Yukina suffering contraction after contraction. Touya never left her side. Kaiba kept on checking her, but she was not dilating further. She was now in her fifth hour of severe contractions and weak from the strain. Kaiba took Touya and Hiei aside, and told them that he wanted their permission to perform an operation from the Human World that he had read about. It was called a Caesarian and involved cutting Yukina open until he reached her womb to pull the baby out. Hiei blanched at his words, and Touya was also full of doubt. Kaiba was not a surgeon; he had just read about this procedure in one of the many medical books that Kurama had brought him from the Human World.

Kaiba looked at them sadly, and told them they had no choice. Yukina would not be able to deliver naturally and both she and the baby would die. Touya nodded, his face grim, and went to tell his mate what was going to happen. Aara put her arms around Hiei and he pressed into her body, tears beginning to run down his face. Nothing had ever frightened him more than this. Kaiba and Rin went upstairs to prepare his main room for the birth. He looked around the room in despair, this was not a sterile operating room! There was no way he was going to be able to boil every piece of equipment in the room. He sent Rin to fetch Bakura and then started to set out the pieces of medical equipment he thought he would need.

The instruments had been brought from the Human World after he had read some of the medical books. You never knew what would happen and what would be needed. He set water to boil and dropped the instruments in it. While he was doing that, his mind was thinking rapidly. He could close up her incision with his power, but he still had to cut her open. Loss of blood was the thing that killed more Demons that anything else. They could heal wounds, but they could not replace blood any faster than a human. Of course, they could stand to lose a lot more than a human. But Yukina was already weak and frail; it wouldn't take much blood loss to succumb.

When Bakura arrived, Kaiba asked him to kill everything in the room, hoping that his power would kill germs also, and then to ward the windows so nothing could enter. He stepped out while the mage performed his magic. His tower crackled with power and vivid blue light streamed out of his main room. Bakura wasn't sure why he was doing it, but he did what Kaiba requested. When Bakura finished, the two mages pulled out a large table and set blankets on it this would be the operating table. Then they put a smaller blanket on another table for the baby. Kaiba thanked the Demon mage and went down stairs to get Yukina. Touya insisted on carrying her up, but Kaiba did not allow him in the room. He took Yukina from his arms and, together with Rin and Bakura, walked into the room. Bakura closed and warded the door afterward, leaving an anxious group outside.

Bakura used his power and put Yukina in a deep sleep. Then he read aloud from the medical text while Kaiba made the first incision. Kaiba was very nervous and sweat began to bead on his forehead. Rin quickly tied a piece of cloth around his head so that it wouldn't get into his eyes. Painstakingly, Kaiba cut through layer after layer of tissue, using his power to stop the bleeding after every incision. It was incredible combination of medicine and magic.

Finally, they reached the baby. The infant seemed healthy and Kaiba gently removed her from the womb, giving her to Rin to clean. He took out the afterbirth, and cleaned up as best he could, still worried about germs. But with the healing powers of a Demon, the few germs that remained might not matter that much. Layer by layer, Kaiba closed the incision, pressing his hands over it while Bakura held the edges closed. Finally they were done and Yukina was still sleeping peacefully, her heart beating strongly.

Kaiba turned his attention to the baby, a beautiful little girl with snow white hair and her father's blue eyes. There was nothing more he could do, the operation looked like a success. Bakura removed the wards from the windows and door, and Kaiba walked into the hall, Rin following behind him with the infant. She handed the tiny baby to Touya, who looked at his daughter with tears of relief in his eyes. Touya asked about Yukina and was told that she was resting and it looked like she would recover fully. But Kaiba cautioned against having any more children.

Touya agreed, but it was Yukina who needed to hear those words. Touya handed his daughter to Hiei, who clutched the baby tightly, scared to death that he would drop her. Hiei looked at his niece and she stretched out a tiny hand, to grasp his finger. His heart clutched with emotion. In his entire life, he had never imagined feeling so much for one tiny baby.

Touya had gone in to see Yukina, and with Kaiba's help, took her down to her own bed. A wet nurse, the same one who nursed Shilo, had been brought to the Castle and she was waiting to feed the baby. Rin had taken pity on Hiei and was carrying the child to her basket.

It was late that night when Rin finally got a chance to go to her room to rest. Her tears over Keiki seemed so childish and petty after what she had just seen Yukina go through. She was just going to run a hot bath when she heard a knock on her door. She rushed to answer it, fearing that Kaiba had sent for her because Yukina had taken a turn for the worst. She opened the door and there stood Keiki, balancing on his crutches.

"May I come in for a moment?" He asked in that soft voice she loved so much. She nodded and opened the door wider so he could get through. He looked for a place to sit, but there were books and papers on every chair. She motioned to the bed and he sat gingerly on the edge. She sat down about a foot from him.

"My son tells me that you are very sad, and I was worried about you. I do not want you to be sad, Rin. I care for you." She looked at him when he said that, hope suddenly burning inside, but then he continued, "You healed me and have always been by my side as I healed. I miss your company."

She sighed; it was only gratitude that he felt for her. "It is nothing. Just a passing problem."

"Please, Rin, tell me. My son thinks that he is the cause and I thought it was his imagination. But then I realized that I have not seen you since he arrived. Did he do something to hurt you?"

"No, Kiri has done nothing." She hung her head, afraid that he would read her feelings in her eyes.

"Then why have you not come to see me?" Keiki could feel her sorrow, right there beneath the surface.

It was too much, being with him like this, but never able to be truly one with him. Tears ran her face. She could not stop them. He moved closed and took her in his arms, her head on his shoulder, his gentle hands stroking her hair. "Shush. I am here for you. You can tell me," he murmured.

"I love you," she whispered, "I love you."

Keiki held her just a little tighter when he heard her words; they were very unexpected. But they made him feel good inside. He still didn't understand what her feelings for him had to do with his son. Suddenly he saw the connection. He lifted her face from his shoulder, wiping away the tears with gentle fingers, and looked into her eyes.

"Kalire is her name. She was my mate and the mother of my only child. She...she died many years ago. But she is waiting for me. I feel her presence within me, and one day I too will pass and together we will go to the golden fields beyond this world. There has never been anyone since her death, Rin. My heart has been empty, until you came and reminded me of her. You are so much like Kalire, that my heart feels full when I am near you."

Rin looked up into his deep blue eyes, her heart suddenly filled with hope. Keiki leaned forward and kissed her softly. "My future is not mine to decide, Rin. If the unicorn clan decides to remain in hiding, then I must rejoin them. I have no future to offer until they make their decision."

"I could come with you."

"No, it would not be allowed. We stay in unicorn form, not human."

Keiki kissed her again, this time a little harder and Rin wrapped her arms around his neck. Then he broke from her and struggled to his feet, grasping his crutches. "If the clan decides to take the Princess' offer, then I will have a future to offer you. Until then I beg you to remain my friend and allow me to be in your company."

Rin nodded mutely and watched Keiki leave the room. Her mind was a sea of emotion. She knew that he did not love her, but at least he felt something for her. Even if it was just a resemblance to his past love, it was a start. Yukina slept through the night and woke up in the morning, sore and tired, but otherwise in good health. She asked for her daughter immediately and the baby was brought to her. Everyone had come down to see Yukina now that she was awake and to congratulate her.

Kaiba asked what the baby's name was going to be and Yukina smiled, replying, "Touya and I decided to name our baby Hiya. The "ya" from Touya's name and the "hi" from Hiei's name." She looked at her brother and smiled at the surprised fire Demon. Hiei couldn't speak; his throat was so tight with emotion. He never expected them to do this and he was deeply touched by their generosity.

"You have to take her under your wing," Touya admonished his brother-in-law. Hiei nodded, his eyes brimming with tears. He had never been happier in his entire life.


	15. Chapter 15: Kouga and Kagome take a vaca

**Chapter 15 - Kouga and Kagome Take a Vacation**

Kouga and Kagome were in the Human World, making one last effort to convince Kagome's mother to live with them in Otherworld. It was now 19 years since Kagome had starting living in Otherworld and time had nearly stopped for her. She was now physically about an 18 year old, but her little brother Souta was a grown man of 27, married with a family of his own. Two years ago, her beloved grandfather had died, leaving her mother alone, and Kagome was determined to bring her mother to Otherworld.

Mikoumi listened to her daughter plead her case over dinner, with Kouga sitting silently. It was true that the house was now quiet when it had once been full, but Mikoumi felt her life was still very happy. She had friends, she often visited Souta and his family, and she had the shrine to care for. Death was a part of life. She could understand why Kagome wanted an extended life, since Kouga had one, but her husband was long dead and now her father was also gone. She knew they would both be waiting for her when she crossed over death's gateway.

That night, in the same room she had grown up in, Kagome talked it over with her mate. Kouga cautioned her not to get her hopes up. He didn't think that Mikoumi would come to Otherworld. Her life was here in the Human World and Kagome would just have to accept it. He suggested taking a trip to see some of the Human World, since he had never seen any of it except for the dojo in Kenshin's time and her parent's house, and he thought that a trip might take Kagome's mind off of her mother's decision.

Mikoumi thought that a trip was a great idea and offered to play chauffeur for them, since Kagome couldn't drive and had no license. Kouga didn't really want to see scenery, since that's all he saw in Otherworld. He wanted to see technology. So Kagome and her mother planned a vacation that included an IMAX movie theatre, a visit to the Shinjuko area of the city, a ride on the Bullet Train, and a visit to the Nagoya Airport. For Kagome, they included a night's stay at a popular hot springs.

But first they had to hide the wolf in Kouga, revealing only the man. He removed his fur outfit, leaving on only the black briefs which he always wore, and a sweater and trousers were handed to him. The trousers similar to what InuYasha wore, except that he couldn't figure out how to close them until Kagome showed him what a zipper was. They were very uncomfortable and confining for him, since he always had bare legs, but he resolved to put with the discomfort in order to see the sights. Mikoumi gave him a wide headband that would cover the pointed tips of his ears. The rest of his ears could pass for human. Fortunately, he did not have long claws like InuYasha, so his hands were okay.

Dark sunglasses would cover his eyes, and he was warned not to smile so his fangs would show. Now for the hard part: shoes and socks. Kouga had gone barefoot, except for a strip of thin cloth over his arch, all of his life. Kagome sat him down on the bed and pulled up a chair. She took one of his feet and placed it in her lap and showed him how to put a sock on. Kouga watched her intently, his head cocked to one side as he stared at his mate, his brow knitted in concentration. Then she took an athletic shoe and put it on, lacing it up. Kouga whimpered softly, it felt like his foot was encased in stone! How was he ever going to be able to walk? Kagome glared at him and he shut up immediately. She grabbed his other foot and repeated the procedure.

"Now stand up," she commanded. Kouga gingerly stood. "Now walk, just like you always do."

His body moved forward but his feet stayed put, anchored by the heavy shoes. He toppled over and ended up leaning heavily against Kagome. The look on her face was not pleasant, and Kouga straightened up quickly. "Oh, brother!" she growled, stomping out of the room, "You have an hour to practice!"

Kouga stood there in absolute panic. An hour! He was going to have to learn to walk in these torture devices in an hour? Resolutely, he dragged one foot in front of the other until he got the hang of it and could walk fairly normally by the end of the hour. He walked out of the room and down the hallway, to stand terrified in front of the stairs. He was actually trembling he was so frightened. Kagome and Mikoumi were at the bottom of the stairs with the luggage waiting for him. Even though they were staying in or close to Tokyo, they had decided to treat themselves to a luxury hotel. Kagome was about ready to drag her mate down the stairs by his ponytail when he finally got himself going down, clutching the handrail for dear life.

Mikoumi couldn't help but smile. She remembered the time she gave InuYasha curry and after one bite, he went whining to Kagome, his tongue stuck out from the pain of the hot curry. He could laugh off a hole going through his stomach, but couldn't handle the hot spicy food! Kagome and Kouga sat in the back seat of the car, only because Kagome didn't trust Kouga by himself, so her mother got to really play chauffer in the front seat. She didn't mind at all, enjoying herself immensely. She only wished that they had brought her grandson, Kome. The last time she had seen him was at his great-grandfather's funeral.

Kouga spent the entire trip glued to the window, watching everything go by in utter amazement; tall buildings towered above him, as high as mountains, sleek metal cars passed by with speed that could match his own, and there were wonderful sparkling lights and signs everywhere! It was incredible. Kagome smiled as she watched her mate. This world she took for granted, but the magic of Otherworld still amazed her. They toured a couple of museums, opting for technology museums, like the Toyota Museum, instead of art. Since Kouga could not read, Kagome quietly read him all the signs.

After they checked into their hotel, and after pulling off his shoes, Kouga investigated everything in the room. Some of the things he was familiar with because Mikoumi had them in her home, such as a television and the hair dryer. There was a coffee pot but Kouga could not understand how anyone would want to drink the horrible tasting stuff. A short time later, Mikoumi came over and they ordered room service, deciding that eating in the privacy of the hotel room might be safer. Kouga, of course, ordered an extremely rare steak. He already knew that freshly killed meat was out of the question, and even raw and bloody was nearly impossible to find.

During dinner, he was on his best conduct and actually used a knife and fork to cut up his steak. Kagome was very proud of her mate and felt guilty for growling at him before. He was trying very hard to behave. After dinner, they went to a nearby movie, Kouga managing to put on his own shoes. They opted for an adventure movie and saw "Master and Commander." It was very good, but what Kouga liked the most was the sea. He had no idea that so much water existed in one place since he had only seen the small lakes in Otherworld. Kagome immediately added a visit to the seashore to their list.

After the movie, they turned in, setting a time to meet in the morning for breakfast and then continue their trip. Kouga immediately stripped out of all of his confining clothes and slipped between the covers. His skin bare felt so good next to the clean, cool sheets! Kagome put on a lacy nightgown that she had purchased that morning and Kouga smiled appreciatively. She turned off the lights and slipped under the covers, her body tight against his, lifting her mouth up for a kiss. His mouth obediently covered hers, his tongue slipping between her lips the way she had taught him. His hands moved on her body, cupping the perfect globe of her breast in one hand. His mouth left hers and moved to lick the rosy nipple, feeling it grow taut under his darting tongue.

Her hands were busy also, quickly finding something of his to cup. He moaned as her hands found his sex and he kicked the covers off, and then opened his legs so that she could touch him easily. Giving up on her body, he just lay there splayed, his eyes closed in utter ecstasy. She stroked and teased until he was at her mercy, whimpering helplessly, his hips moving to the rhythm of her hands. Kouga started to turn so she would be on bottom, but she put a hand on his chest, stopping him and straddled his hips instead.

He almost came off the bed as she sat down, impaling herself on his hard length. Kagome received his every thrust with a matching push of her own, so that he went in deeper than he ever had thought possible. His blue eyes darkened, the pupils only narrow slits, and his whole body was covered in a slick sheen of perspiration. His eyes suddenly closed tightly and he arched off the bed, his heels digging into the mattress, his fingers clutching the sheets, as he pumped his release into her wonderful body. She cried out as she reached her climax with him, her fingers digging into his shoulders painfully. Together they crashed down, both spent, lying in a tangle of arms and legs, Kagome draped over her tired Wolf.

After a few minutes, Kagome rolled off of him and suddenly realized that her nightgown was gone. She didn't remember him taking it off. She looked for it and saw it on the floor, but left it lying there. It had served its purpose. Kouga was already asleep, his breathing regular, his long black hair spread across the pillow. It had been a long day! She pulled the covers over them and then curled next to him, her head on his shoulder. He automatically put his arms around her and she drifted to sleep contently. This was going to be a wonderful vacation!

The next day they drove to the hot springs resort, making a detour to the seashore. Kouga stood a high point overlooking the ocean, staring at the waves. He could not believe the power and majesty of the ocean. It was overwhelming. After a long time of just watching the waves, the three of them went down to the shore, taking off their shoes and walking along the edge of the water. The spot that had chosen was off the beaten path, so they were alone. Before Kagome could stop him, he bent down to lap some of the water, almost strangling on the briny taste. She gave him a bottle of water from her carry-all, and he drank it all in one gulp, trying to get the horrible taste out of his mouth.

"Ask next time before you do something like that," Kagome admonished. Since her mate couldn't even stand the chlorinated water from the tap, she could imagine how horrible seawater must have been to him.

But its terrible taste did nothing to ruin the beauty of the ocean for him. Kagome picked up some shells for him, explaining that sea creatures used to live in them. Reluctantly they left the seashore to continue to the hot springs.

Kagome knew that Kouga was not looking forward to the hot springs. After all, there were many natural hot springs in Otherworld. She only hoped he would make the best of it and not be childish about it. Sometimes she didn't know which could act the most immature: her mate or InuYasha. After checking into the hotel, with Mikoumi registering for all of them, they decided to go eat dinner at the restaurant, then enjoy the hot springs. Kouga ordered lobster and was disappointed that it came cooked. He had seen them swimming in a large tank when he walked into the restaurant and had expected it to arrive alive and kicking.

He was dragging his feet a bit when they returned to their hotel room. Their room was very nice, with a separate sitting room, and a sliding paneled door that covered one wall. After taking off his shoes and socks, he went to investigate the door and slid it open. It revealed onto a private mini hot springs of their very own. Rocks and plants were placed so that it appeared to be a natural setting, and on the edge facing him, a small waterfall spilled into the pool. High walls surrounded it for privacy, but the star-filled sky twinkled overhead. Kagome slipped her arm into his and he looked down at her, smiling. She began to undress slowly and he got the idea, quickly removing his clothes. Maybe the hot springs weren't going to be so boring after all.

Afterwards they lay together in the springs, Kagome resting in the circle of Kouga's arms. The warm water felt so good, they were both just enjoying the feeling of it. After a while, Kagome turned to face her mate. "I love you so much." she whispered, "Thank you for my life."

Kouga's eyes misted as her words and he flushed with emotion, then put his feelings into a long, deep kiss and Kagome felt her toes tingle with pleasure. He stood up, picking her up as he did, and padded to the bed. He was reluctant to leave the springs, but knew that he was sure to fall asleep after their next round of lovemaking. This time their joining was filled with gentleness, Kouga fitting his body to her back and pressing in from behind, very much like the first time they ever made love. His movements were slow and deliberate, drawing the sensations out as much as he could.

Finally he could hold back no longer, and thrust in deeply, released his seed deep inside of his mate. Kouga slipped out, and rolled over on his back, settling into his sleeping position. She was still kneeling and moved closer to take his face in her hands, looking deep into his blue oval eyes. She kissed him with such tenderness and love that his whole body trembled with the intensity of his feelings. Then Kagome straightened to lie beside him, with her head on his shoulder, and slipped into a peaceful sleep. Kouga kissed the top of her head, his eyes wet with tears. He didn't think anyone one could be as happy as he was at this very instant.

The next morning, they started for home, Kagome and Kouga returning to Otherworld and Mikoumi to her home in the Human World. Kagome realized that the Human World had a lot to offer and her mother was happy. She promised to come back soon and to bring Kome with them next time. Then with a final wave goodbye, they went through the well and back home to Otherworld.


	16. Chapter 16: And so it begins

**Chapter 16 - And so it begins...**

Naraku had been gone for over a month now, and Ashara was worried that he would not return. The Blood Demons were still with her, and Lido and Tasuki were still captives. Jodah was handling the chameleon Demon, making sure that no one found out that the Emperor was dead. Much had happened in this past month. Seiryuu had amassed its army, but had crossed the soldiers into Genbu so that Suzaku was not yet aware of its danger. Suzaku kept a very close watch on Seiryuu, but it was less vigilante in watching the other two countries of the Four Gods World. Byakko was also amassing an small army, waiting for the Emperor's command. In the Demon World, Mukuro was also bringing the Demon leaders together, readying for an attack.

At the same time that the combined armies attacked Suzaku, Mukuro would attack Raizen. If Raizen fell, Mukuro would not only have the Northern Lands but could easily take the Western Lands of the comatose Sesshomaru. Then beset on from all sides, the Southern Lands of Shido would surely fall. Mukuro would become ruler of all of Demon World. The Demon Lands were not like the Four Gods World. In the Four Gods World, as in the Human World, wars were fought with the common people. There were trained soldiers, but most wars relied on the farmers, tradesmen, and workers that lived in the lands and drafted them to become soldiers during times of war. But Demon World did not have common people; there were only other Demons, of varying strengths, and usually commanded by a clan leader. The strongest of the Demons battled one another until they became leader of their clan and in turn the land that the clan lived on. If the succeeding son or daughter was strong enough, then he or she also controlled the clan and their lands, as in the case of Sesshomaru; if not, another Demon took his place.

Therefore, Raizen did not have a huge army to call upon, since most battles were mere skirmishes and he took care of them himself. For a large problem, he would call on the clan leaders and hope that they would answer his call, but they were under no obligation to do so. Many of the clan leaders would refuse to answer a Demon lord's request, hoping that if the lord fell, the clan leader might be able to claim those lands for himself. Trustworthy Demon lords were few and far between, and Raizen could only count on two: Tekken, leader of the Bobcat clan, and Xuho, leader of the Wind Demons and mother of his son, Jin.

Raizen was already stretched thin because of Sesshomaru. The Western Lands were ripe for the plucking and any ambitious Demon could easily take them over. If the Western Lands were claimed by another Demon lord, when Sesshomaru woke, he would be forced to fight for his own lands. Because of his alliance with Otherworld, Raizen had sent Xuho to the Western Lands to hold them for Sesshomaru's return. She already had good lands and desired no more, so she was safe to send.

In contrast, Mukuro had numerous Demon clans to call on, and a huge bargaining chip in the fact that if she won the war, she would control three-quarters, if not all, of Demon World. Whomever helped her win would receive vast tracks of land. To her side, she gathered the cat clan, the moth clan, the bear clan and the snake clan. Each of these clans had hundreds of Demons at their command. They were just waiting for Naraku's word to begin the attack.

Naraku had left a month ago to redesign himself. His current form was too vulnerable and he needed to make himself strong. He was deep inside of the same mountain where Rhu had been found, adding and discarding Demon parts. The discarded parts were entwined near him, forming new Demons. Finally he had the form he wanted and walked outside the cave. He had combined remaining Demons inside of himself into one powerful Demon. Over a hundred Demons remained behind, no longer a part of him, but still under his control. Ralf and Tyrrl were now freed, their essences were no longer a part of him, but they also remained rigidly controlled. If he wished, Naraku could reabsorb them, but to do so would destroy his new form. Kagura, the Wind Demon that almost killed Kouga, had also been freed and she now walked behind Naraku. The other Demons stayed in the mountain, waiting for Naraku's command.

Many more Demons were joining them every day and in a short time, there would be over a thousand Demons in the mountain. These Demons would divide into two groups, and one group would travel to Kaede's Village led by Kagura and one would go to attack the Castle itself led by the Blood Demons. Both groups would gather more Demons as they traveled. All of these Demons were disposable; Naraku did not expect them to overtake either the Village or the Castle, but their attacks would prevent Otherworld from sending aid to Suzaku, and that was all that was required of them. Naraku walked into the palace, and went directly to Jodah, talking to the mage about the readiness of the armies. Shilo's escape was a problem. The boy had reached the safety of Otherworld and there was no way to tell how much the boy had heard and how much he had told them. Having Tasuki imprisoned was enough, since it broke the Celestial Seven. The Red Phoenix could no longer be called for help, and once Suzaku fell, and Mukuro held the Western and Northern Lands of Demon World, Otherworld itself would become the target. It would be beset from all sides. Even if Aara called for help from her sisters, their Demons could not prevail against Rhu, the Black Dragon. And if her sisters did help, then the vulnerable borders to the Human World would fall. Either way, Naraku would win. There was no way he could lose this war!

Naraku went with Jodah to check on Rhu. The dragon was sitting on the cold floor in his room, naked as always, but looked up when they entered. His eyes locked on Jodah, begging for his attention. Jodah cupped his chin, lifting his face to kiss him. "Did you miss me?" Naraku left the mage to tend to his Dragon's needs and went to Ashara. She greeted him happily. For a whole month, the only male she had to comfort her was Malik and she only used him because Jodah needed his powers. She even went to Tasuki, but his look was full of hate. After all that had happened to him and especially after seeing her reaction to Bankotsu's death, his binding had broken. He was now completely free of his binding to her, and only the dungeons of Seiryuu held him captive.

"I thought you were remaking yourself? You look the same." she commented.

Naraku smiled at her, "When the time is right, you will see the change. But now, I have missed you." He reached for her, bringing her close and covering her mouth with his own. They quickly undressed, hungry for each other's touch.

The next day, Jodah opened a portal to Mukuro's hall and Naraku went through, making sure that everything was ready. He was very pleased with Mukuro's accomplishments in getting a Demon army together and told her to attack on the morning of the day after tomorrow.

Returning to Seiryuu, Naraku, through the false Emperor, advanced his troops; they would reach Suzaku's border in two days. He also started the Demon hordes on their journey to Otherworld. Everything was ready. There was only one more thing to do before starting the war.

Suzaku knew that Seiryuu was amassing soldiers, but there was no sign of them coming closer to their shared border. The spies that they maintained in Seiryuu had been found and murdered, Jodah using Malik's power. Malik found himself helpless to refuse an order from Princess Ashara, and his power found all the Suzaku's spies who were immediately executed. The boy had thought that his life could not get worse, and now he had the blood of innocent men on his hands. He hated Jodah with a white hot passion but was helpless to do anything against the mage. He only hoped that Shilo had remembered what his words were and that Otherworld and Suzaku would not be caught totally unaware.

Emperor Hotohori had also been assembling an army, but it was about a fourth of the size of the Seiryuu army. They did not have a chance and they knew it. There was a grim fatalism going through the ranks, but the men were determined to die to the last man if need be. Emperor Balago was a hard master and his people suffered from heavy taxes and ill treatment at the hands of those in charge. Punishments were often very severe and none of the soldiers wanted their families to suffer.

Hotohori went to his dressing chambers, preparing to go to bed after a long day with his advisors. The fact that Tasuki was a captive crippled them greatly since they could not summon the Red Phoenix. Without its protection, the capital would surely fall. Hotohori was not only looking forward to a few hours of rest, but also to spend some time with his young bride. He had wed only a few months ago and his bride, Houki, was expecting their first child. He thought it ironic that his personal life was finally coming together when his public life was falling apart. His personal valet was helping him undress.

This man was new and still nervous around the Emperor. Hotohori missed his old valet, but the man had decided to retire and enjoy a peaceful old age. The valet was taking his shoes off when he felt a sharp pain in his foot. He gave a soft cry and the valet immediately took and examined the shoe. One of the prongs holding a jewel had come loose and that had scratched the Emperor. The valet apologized profusely and promised that he would have the shoe fixed tomorrow morning. Hotohori nodded and continue undressing. After putting on his nightshirt and robe, he thanked the valet and went to his bedroom and his waiting bride.

At two in the morning, the young Emperor woke covered in sweat and in considerable pain. Houki called for assistance and felt his forehead; her husband was burning up with fever. Mitsukake came to his room, followed by Tamahome and Chichiri, all members of the Celestial Seven. Hotohori's foot was throbbing and he told them of the mishap with his shoe. When Mitsukake examined it, the whole foot was swollen and there was a deep red puncture mark on the side. Mitsukake tried to heal the Emperor using his power, but nothing happened. Hotohori got progressively worse, his fever was climbing rapidly and his breathing was now labored.

Tamahome went to find the valet and bring the shoe for a closer examination. He had the entire palace searched but no trace was found of either the valet or the shoe. Tamahome turned ashen when the results of the search were told to him; this had to be the work of Naraku and Jodah! He rushed back to the Emperor's room and told them the news. Chichiri attempt to break the spell, but he wasn't even sure it was a spell. As each minute passed, Hotohori got worse. At four the young Emperor began to go into convulsions. Mitsukake was positive that he had been poisoned and every known antidote had been administered, but nothing was helping.

Just before dawn, the beautiful young Emperor died, leaving a grieving widow and a torn nation. Naraku had claimed his second victim.


	17. Chapter 17: Battle lines

**Chapter 17 - Battle Lines**

They had missed something vital and the Emperor had died because of their mistakes. The remaining Celestial Seven members gathered together trying to figure out their next move. The most important thing was information. Obviously their information was faulty, forcing Chichiri to use a power he rarely employed because it was very dangerous and it taxed his system. He would pay for using it in the future, but if he didn't try, there was a very good possibility that Suzaku would have no future.

Chichiri had the power of teleportation. It was a dangerous power since he could materialize inside a wall or rock, so he had to be careful of his destination. For terrain he was not familiar with, he used topography maps to guide him. Because of the wards and spells that Jodah had all over Seiryuu's capital city, there was no way to teleport inside the city, and he did not want to be spotted, so he decided to teleport near the border between Seiryuu and Genbu, figuring it would not be overrun with soldiers. Therefore, it was by sheer accident that he landed near the amassing armies, hidden in Genbu. To his horror, he found an army whose soldiers were too numerous to count and they were marching directly to Suzaku.

Chichiri teleported again before they could spot him, this time to Otherworld, near the border of Seiryuu. Again, he found the unexpected. Hundreds of Demons were passing in the sky above him, heading in two different directions. He marked the directions and teleported back to Suzaku to tell the Seven about the advancing army. It was about two days' from their nearest border. Tamahome left to rally the troops and send them to protect that vulnerable border as best they could. But it was a hopeless cause, if Chichiri's estimate was even close to being right, the Seiryuu army was nearly six times their own. Suzaku had underestimated badly, mainly because of the secret alliance with Genbu. If Byakko was also involved, they were truly lost! Suzaku desperately needed help.

Even though his head was already screaming in pain from the prior teleportations, Chichiri teleported again, this time to Otherworld. Unfortunately, he could not make a jump of that distance so he did it in two stages, resting only a short time between jumps. Time was precious! His last hop took him to the Castle gate, and he collapsed in front of the guards, the pain so intense. The guards carried him into the Castle and then to a room when they were told who he was. Kaiba prepared a herb pack and placed it on Chichiri's forehead, but it was still nearly two hours later before he regained consciousness. His head still ached, but the pain was manageable. He told Kaiba that he needed to speak to everyone urgently and Kaiba conveyed the message. InuYasha came to his room and carried him to the library where everyone was already gathered. Chichiri told them the terrible news of Hotohori's death and then about the army he had seen in Genbu and the two Demon hoards. One was heading toward the Castle itself and, judging from Chichiri's description, that second was heading toward Kaede's Village.

Hotohori's death was a terrible blow since this meant that Suzaku was now leaderless at the time it needed a leader the most. Vara surprised everyone by offering to step in temporarily. She had a feeling that she was going to be needed for weeks now and finally the need had been revealed to her.

But Chichiri's news was not the only news that Otherworld had received today. Raizen's Northern Lands were already being attacked by Mukuro and five of the Southern Land clans. Yusuke had already been sent for and when he arrived, Bakura would open a portal that would take Yusuke to his father's side. Touya and Toyna had also pledged their support. The Bobcat clan was already on the move to Raizen's side; Tekki went to his father shortly after hearing the news about Mukuro. Messengers had already been sent to Shido with the hopes that the Blood Demons would lend Raizen their support. Now it looked like Suzaku would not get any help from the Demon World and that was obviously what Naraku had counted on. It was his plan to keep Suzaku's allies occupied with battles of their own so they could not help Suzaku when they needed it most.

The news of the Demons hordes approaching was ill news indeed. Messengers were immediately sent to apprise Kouga of the impending attack. With the help of Miroku, Kenshin and Sanosuke, the wolf clan just might be enough to hold off the Demons.

But it was the Castle that was vulnerable. They had already lost two of their most powerful forces: Bankotsu and Sesshomaru. If the Dog Lord woke up, it was would be a huge asset, but that seemed very unlikely. As long as Ashara and Aara both lived, Sesshomaru was caught between their powers. It was decided that Hiten and Souten would return with Chichiri and use their storm powers against the vast armies of Seiryuu. They were the most powerful Demons available and their powers could take out hundred of soldiers with each strike. It was the only help that Otherworld could afford to give.

Princess Aara then told Chichiri about Rhu, the Black Dragon and the plan to release his power against their country. Chichiri covered his face in despair. With a Great Dragon, Suzaku had no chance at all. "But we have a surprise for Naraku." Aara continued. Chichiri raised his head to stare at her. "The gods have not abandoned us and have given us a Great Dragon of our own. Kyo is the Red Dragon and has agreed to help against the Black Dragon." Chichiri thanked Kyo for his offer of assistance, but it still seemed overwhelming. So far there were only three Demons willing to help.

"It may seem that way, and believe me, I wish we could offer more." Kurama said. "but it seems that Naraku has thought of everything. He had many spies and knows our strengths and weakness almost better than we know them ourselves. But we have a couple of surprises that he is not aware of and Kyo is only one of them. But our most powerful blows must be against Naraku. Once he is dead, everything should begin to fall apart. The Demons he control will lose their focus and drift away from battle. Unfortunately, Jodah is a force we were not prepared for and that will cost us dearly."

"Suzaku is not alone." InuYasha proclaimed. "I will go against Naraku myself. I owe him much! And Bakura will go against the Seiryuu mage.".

"You cannot fight Naraku by yourself, InuYasha." Aara stated quietly

"He is not going alone. I am going with him." Vash spoke for the first time. "I have a daughter to save. I failed my brother. I will not fail my daughter!"

"I am also going." Keiki said quietly.

"No! You can barely walk with crutches! I will go in your place." Kiri said, surprised by his father's decision.

"This is not your decision to make, but mine. You will wait here and when the outcome of the war is known, you will go to the herd and tell them what you have seen. Based upon that, the elders can make their decision whether to stay in hiding or accept the offer of protection that the Princess extends to them."

Kiri nodded, his head bowed with sorrow. It was a dangerous situation for a Unicorn that was strong and sound, but for a Unicorn that could not walk unaided, it was hopeless. He didn't understand what his father expected to accomplish by going. That left the protection of the Castle in the hands of Suzuki, Kurama, Kenru and Hiei. Three Demons and one human girl against over a thousand Demons. Aara's power was formidable but limited in range. A Demon had to be in close proximity to her and everyone prayed it would not come to that. Yukina was still bed-ridden from giving birth and if the Castle fell, she and the child would die at the hands of the Demon hoard. Hiei swore to Touya that he would defend his sister and niece to the death and he meant to do exactly that.

Yusuke would arrive in the morning and Bakura would open the portal to Raizen for him along with Touya and Toyna. Then he would create a portal for Chichiri, Vara, and the two Thunder Demons to go to Suzaku and then Hiten and Souten would continue to the border of Genbu where the armies were amassing. Lastly, Bakura would open a portal as close to the capital of Seiryuu as he dared, and InuYasha, Kyo, Keiki, Vash and himself would go through that last one.

They were stretching themselves terribly thin. Two Thunder Demons against an army of 20,000! InuYasha and Vash against Naraku and probably the Blood Demons he controlled. Bakura going head to head against a mage that was much more powerful that he was and Bakura was untried in battle. He always protected, but had never actually fought. Tonight was going to be a very long night. Kaiba and Rin were preparing as many healing potions as they could so each of the fighters could have at least two or three. It was nearly midnight when Kaiba noticed that Rin was exhausted and ordered her to bed. Under protest, she went down the stairs, but when she got to her room, she stopped at the door, hesitating. Then she turned and walked down the hallway.

Quietly she knocked on Keiki's door and heard a soft "enter" through the door.

Keiki looked up from his bed surprised by his visitor. He was resting his leg as much as he could. Tomorrow there would be no rest and he knew he would be in a lot of pain. "Rin?"

"Keiki, I know that you might not return to the Castle, and there might not even be a Castle to return to. The other night you said you could not offer me a future. Well, neither of us has a secure future to offer the other, so I ask for just one night. Tonight, And it will be enough to last me the rest of my life. I love you, Keiki. Please give me that much. Please, I beg you." The girl crumbled to her knees in front of him, tears filling her eyes. "Rin," Keiki murmured, pulling her up from the floor. "You ask for so little."

"I am asking for all you have. I am asking for time."

"And I will give you all the time that I have to give. Perhaps the tides of war will change things and we will have a future after all. It is in the hands of the gods now."

Rin smiled sadly at Keiki, then turned out the lamp at his bedside, throwing the room into shadows. She unfastened, then stepped from her gown. He reached for her, pulling her down on the bed. It had been such a long time since he held a woman, ever since Kalire died giving birth to his son. His lips found Rin's, and he gently explored her mouth with his own. She began to lean against him, pressing until she seemed to be melting into his body. He pulled the covers aside and she moved so that she was lying next to him. He moved and covered her with his body, caressing her, loving the feel of her and the tenderness she gave him. He had not realize how much he had missed these feelings.

All through the night, they joined and parted, coming together in passion and parting to lie in one another's arms. Just to be near each other was enough. Time seemed to stop for them, at least for a little while, and the thoughts of war and death seemed far away. But all too soon the sky began to lighten with the dawn. Rin held Keiki tightly for a while and then there was no time left for them. She moved from his side and dressed quickly, then helped Keiki dress. Just before going out the door, she turned and kissed him. "Please come home to me," she whispered.

"If it is my power to do so, I will. I promise you that." He kissed her one last time and then opened the door.

Breakfast was being served. Who knew how long they would go until their next meal. The Thunder Demons were stuffing themselves with food, needing all the energy possible for their high metabolisms. Alone in his bedroom, Vash opened a locked trunk. He looked at its contents sadly. He had hoped never to use the items inside again. He pulled out tight-fitting brown armor and put it on, followed by heavy boots and leather gloves. He put on his red coat which swirled around him in a macabre dance. Slowly, methodically, Vash buttoned the double set of buttons and buckled the belts. Then he picked up the gun; more than anything he did not want to put that gun on. Kurama had teased him when he saw it the first time so many years ago; guns meant nothing to Demons! But this was not an ordinary gun; just as he was not an ordinary man. Resigned, he strapped the silver gun to his hip. His yellow sunglasses came last. Now he was ready.

Bakura opened the portal for Yusuke, Touya and his son, Toyna. Toyna kissed Vara goodbye and the three stepped through the portal into Raizen's fortress. The portal closed instantly behind them. Then the mage opened the second portal, and Chichiri walked through. Vara hugged her parents and then stepped through, quickly followed by Hiten and Souten. Again the portal closed.

The third and last portal opened. Kyo swiftly walked through it. InuYasha hugged his Princess tightly and kissed her lightly, then jumped through the portal. Then Vash came up to her, holding her tightly. He kissed her deeply then released her, and left. Aara sunk to the floor, her heart aching like it never had before. Hiei knelt beside her and put his arms around her shoulders. Keiki said goodbye to his son and then bent to kiss Rin.

"Keep your promise." She told him and then let him go. He hobbled through the portal, leaving only Bakura himself. He bent to his Princess and kissed her softly, then went through the portal, closing it behind himself.

The battle lines were now drawn


	18. Chapter 18: Preparations

**Chapter 18 - Preparations**

When Tekki arrived at the clan's den, he found preparations already being made for the upcoming war. He went to see his father who greeted his son warmly. He was in the process of putting on an armored breastplate and shoulder pads. Like most Demons, he wore very little armor.

"So we march to the Northern Lands and Raizen." Tekki commented as he searched through the armor pieces for something he could use.

"No, we are going to Byakko."

"What? When did this happen? Raizen needs our help!"

"And so does Suzaku, more than they realize. This morning, one of the patrols returned from the mountains near Byakko and reported an army marching towards Suzaku. Suzaku has no defenses at all on the border it shares with Byakko. It will be a surprise attack, a cowardly attack and I will not let that happen. Especially since I am sure that Naraku had a hand in this. I would love to get my claws into that Demon, but since that will not happen, I can at least ruin part of his plan."

Tekki said nothing more. Naraku seemed to be behind all the evil in the world. And he held Tasuki captive. They didn't even know if he was alive. Princess Aara stopped sensing him weeks ago. Tekki had never even gotten to meet his half brother and would have liked to meet him at least once.

In a couple of hours, the bobcat clan was ready and started on the journey to Byakko, about the same time that Chichiri arrived at the Castle with his unhappy news. Kouga and Kome were preparing the village as best they could for the arrival of the Demon horde. All able-bodied villagers were given weapons and told to guard the main hall. All the women and children along with the infirmed and elderly were gathered into that hall, where Kaede set them to making bandages and herb packs. Kouga sent wolves up to the hills surrounding the village as watchers. They would start to howl the moment they saw the Demons. Other wolves were sent to the surrounding wolf clans asking for help. But Kouga couldn't count on help from the clans. If any help was sent, it would probably come too late. He was mostly worried that there would be more than just lower class Demons. He feared that the Blood Demons would be traveling with them. The astute wolf was very close to the mark; the Blood Demons were traveling with the hoard that would attack the Castle, but Kagura, his old nemesis, would be with the Demons attacking the Village.

In the dojo, Kenshin. Kaoru and Sanosuke were sharpening their swords. Serafin, Keiko, Raike, and Mirago were within its walls and Katsu and Shippo would protect them as best they could. Neither were true fighters, but Shippo's fox fire was now a powerful force and its barrier should hold against most of the lower Demons. Sango would be out in the field with Kirara, her Demon cat, fighting alongside her mate, Miroku. His air void was their most powerful weapon. Kagome had borrowed Kirara and was with Kouga, making a run through the hills to the south of the Village. They didn't expect anything from that direction, but they didn't want to be surprised. Kirara was flying low to the ground so Kouga could run beside her.

Kagome was glad that she had kept up her archery skills through the years, although it was not very often that Kagome could go on patrol, especially since Kome had inherited her ability to sense crystal shards. She had become a home body and it was exciting to be part of the fighting team once more. She would have to insist on going with her mate more often. A few miles from the village, Kirara growled and looked up into the sky. Very high up, a black cloud was passing. Kouga jumped on Kirara's back, behind his mate, and the three went sailing up to inspect the cloud. As they got closer, they realized that the cloud was comprised of hundreds of Naraku's poisonous insects! They had survived after all! Kirara flew back to the Village to warn them. This was bad news indeed. Those insects were deadly, having poisoned both Miroku and Kouga before. Their presence also negated the power of Miroku's air void, for they stung him as they were being sucked into the void.

Kouga reported the news to Miroku and he shook his head. Naraku seemed to always be one step ahead of them. Now there was nothing to do but wait.

In the Northern Lands, Raizen greeted his son with a slap on the back that made Yusuke nearly fall over. "How is your mate and your son?" he asked as if this was just an ordinary visit. Yusuke muttered that they were fine and went to the topmost tower which overlooked the Northern Lands. In the distance he could see hundred of Demons and they were not just lower class. The Cat clan were almost entirely high class Demons, and the Moth clan, not to be confused with human moths, were gigantic Demons that spun deadly silk that could melt your bones. The Bear Demons were lower class but incredibly strong and dangerous. The Snake Demons were few in number and probably the least of their problems, but they still needed to be dealt with. Raizen's followers were already on the front lines battling the first of the Demons, the Snake Demons and a mix of lower class Demons. From the high vantage point of the tower, Yusuke could see that the Cat clan would hit next. Flanking to the south were the Bears and the Snakes. Behind the Cat clan, were the Moths. It was going to be a long hard fight and the ratio looked like it was more than three hundred to one.

Suddenly there was a stir at the gate and Raizen went to check it out. To his amazement, the entire Fox clan arrived to offer their help. Kurama had sent word to them, not really expecting their help. But here they were ready to fight. Kelte, the Fox Demon lord, created thorny barriers around Raizen's keep that would keep out the small Demons. Other deadly plants were grown, some nearly as tall as the tower itself. Maybe these plants could take out the Moths? Suddenly there was a glimmer of hope, not that Raizen ever despaired. He loved nothing more than battle and if he were to die in battle, well, what better way to die? With a shout, both Raizen and Yusuke stormed out of the keep, heading to the south and the Bear clan. Touya and his son would try to take out the Cat clan. It was the largest and most deadly and their ice could take out large numbers at a time.

In the Northern Lands, the waiting was over and war was already upon them.

At the Castle, Yukina had walked slowly to the front entrance of her wing and she iced it up solid. Then she and her daughter retired to their bedroom. She knew that the wall would stop only the weakest Demons but at least she would hear the wall fall. There was not much more than she could do. Suzuki was in the North Tower, strengthening Bakura's barriers as best he could. He had not a third of the blue mage's strength, but the barriers were already in place. He just needed to seal any tears that might appear. He only hoped that his power would enough to keep the Castle safe. Kurama was the busiest. The thorn barrier grew twice its size, now as tall as the towers themselves. He placed more sentry plants on the hills around the Castle. Also on the hills and around the Castle, he grew huge plants that could tear a Demon to pieces or suck its blood dry in seconds. These plants, along with Bakura's shield, were the Castle's best defense.

The Castle guards were busy gathering all the humans that farmed around the Castle inside its walls. The gate, which had always stood open, was now closed, but they were more for ornament than protection, made of ornate wrought iron with a scroll-work "A" on either side. Hiei had gone with Kurama to help him carry seeds, and now he stood in a high tree overlooking the Castle that had been his home for nearly a century. Everyone that he had ever loved was inside its walls and he would protect it with every drop of blood he had. Kenru was with the guards, sharpening her sword. She wished that her sword was of fire like her father's, but she would make do with what she had. She missed Tekki and hoped that he was safe. War seemed to be everywhere, and three worlds were embroiled in it.

Suddenly, the sentry plants gave off an alarm. Demons! Hiei dropped in front of them with his sword out and ready. The taller one held up his hands in peace. "You are Hiei, are you not? I am Kaleffe and this is Hulfa. Princess Arina sends us to you to help in any way we can."

Kurama arrived soon after Hiei, recognizing Kaleffe, the Demon who captured him many years ago. Together the four Demons walked to the Castle and Aara greeted her sister's males. Kaleffe was a Fire Demon, capable of creating and controlling fire, which Hiei, being only half fire Demon, could not. Fire could not hurt him, but he could not create it. Hulfa was a Bear Demon, but a high class one. He could transform into an enormous, powerful beast. Arina could barely spare these two Demons. If Mukuro conquered Demon World, she would hit the border to Human World next. If the border that Arina protected fell, the Human World would be open to attacks from the Demon forces.

Now they waited for the hordes to arrive


	19. Chapter 19: The battle for Suzaku

**Chapter 19 - The Battle for Suzaku**

Hiten and Souten were flying from the capital of Suzaku to the border where the enemy armies were near. "I wish we had Bankotsu," Hiten lamented.

"Yeah, three Thunder Demons would be nice." Souten replied, agreeing with his father.

"Bankotsu was the most powerful Thunder Demon I ever met, far more powerful than either of us. Just like the Tetsusaiga gives power to InuYasha, the Banyruu gave extra power to Bankotsu. While we can call down one bolt of lightning at a time, Bankotsu could call down a dozen. We could really use him!"

"I miss him. I wish I had gotten to know him better. He always seemed so carefree." Souten commented.

"Bankotsu had many hidden Demons, but he never talked about them, at least not to anyone but the Princess." Hiten mused, and then turned to his son, "By the way, you are going to have a brother in a few months."

"What?" Souten exclaimed, "You and Mom are…?"

"Yes, we are going to have another child. Another boy."

Hiten lapsed into silence, thinking about Serafin and the coming baby. He hoped that they would be all right and wished that he could be with her to protect her. Back in Suzaku's capital, Vara was meeting the five remaining members of the Celestial Seven. They were grateful for her presence, for the people were lost without their emperor. Advisors and captains of the army had no one to direct them. Vara had no experience with war, but she listened to the advisors, using her power to sense their sincerity. According to all the information available, Seiryuu's main army seemed to be in Genbu and the attack would come from that border. She sent most of the army to that border, and the remainder to guard the border between Suzaku and Seiryuu. She knew that two Thunder Demons would not be able to stop Seiryuu's army, but hopefully they would slow it down. What she feared the most was that Naraku would send the Black Dragon directly against the capital. Kyo had gone to Seiryuu, gambling that Naraku would keep Rhu close to him for protection. She prayed that Kyo was right. If the Black Dragon struck at Suzaku, all would be lost.

Hiten and Souten were sending lightning bolts, one after another, into the Seiryuu's armies. After the first few dozen bolts, the armies began to gather their archers and sent hundreds of arrows into the sky where the Thunder Demons hovered. They were forced to dodge the arrows; they could have gone higher to escape the arrows but then they would be above the clouds and they needed to be below the clouds to bring out the lightning bolts. Souten sent a white-hot bolt right into the middle of the archers, wiping out a fourth of them. While the archers were keeping the Demons occupied, the rest of the army was marching as fast as possible to Suzaku. And the front ranks were only a couple of hours away from the Suzaku border. With a shout to Souten to keep after the archers, Hiten sped away to the front lines; in a last ditch effort to slow them down. Seeing the second Demon leave, the archers filled the air with arrows. Souten's lightning stuck, burning most of the arrows and several dozen archers. The soldiers' hair was standing up into the air from all the static electricity that Souten was generating. But there were too many arrows and two found their mark, burying their barbed points into Souten's right shoulder and left leg. The pain was excruciating and he screamed in agony, flying high into the sky. Hiten heard his son's cry and rushed to his aid, his bolts tore from the sky and the archers either died or fled in terror. Hiten went to his son and together they flew to the top of the mountains.

Souten was bleeding badly from the wounds, and when Hiten tried to pull the arrows out, he screamed in agony. Sharp hooks on the steel arrows prevented their removal and they would tear the wound wide open if Hiten pulled them out. There was only one thing to do. Hiten broke the arrow shaft and then pushed the arrow right through, piercing his son's back. Souten's screams echoed through the hills. Blood now ran freely from both sides of his shoulder, front and back. And he still had the leg to go. The pain was less only because the arrow had already gone through most of the way. Hiten tied the healing packs that Kaiba had given him around his son's shoulder and leg, and in seconds they were soaked with blood. There was nothing more they could do here, there were just too many soldiers. Hiten strapped his thunder pike to his back and picked up his son. It was time to return to the capital.

At the capital, Vara suddenly cried out and fell to the ground, feeling Souten's pain through her binding. She could sense that he was alive but very badly hurt. As Chichiri was lifting the young Princess into a chair, a runner arrived bringing the news that Byakko's army had just crossed into Suzaku. Suzaku was completely unprotected on the Byakko border. All her soldiers were facing the army advancing from Genbu. Suzaku did not stand a chance and its people would be slaughtered. There was no one left to help them. Naraku's plan had worked perfectly! Byakko soldiers literally strolled into Suzaku; there was no one there to put up a fight. The villages only had the infirmed, the very old or the very young. Everyone else was helping with the impending war. The soldiers looted the first two villages and burnt them to the ground, laughing as they did. This was going to be easy!

They approached the third village, their weapons had been sheathed after the first village, walking boldly into the village. The streets were deserted. The Byakko army numbered about six hundred and were stretched out for about a mile. The advance soldiers, numbering about a hundred, were the ones who entered the villages, clearing the way for the bulk of the soldiers.

The second company of soldier went into the village, into the town square in the center. It was completely silent. Where were the advance soldiers? The pattern repeated itself until the last of the soldiers walked into the town, again the town square. They look around and nothing was disturbed. The other soldiers hadn't looted? Not one building was burning? They looked around and suddenly heard a sound, it sounded like hundreds of feet stamping on the ground. As one, they drew their weapons and went towards the sound, then stopped in horror. On the other side of the village was a huge pile of dead soldiers, Byakko soldiers. Rivers of blood ran from the pile. And the noise got louder and louder. Suddenly appearing all around them were nearly four hundred Demons, all stamping the ground and beginning to growl. Within minutes, the remaining soldiers joined their comrades and the villagers came from hiding.

A tall beautiful Demon with long red gold hair led the Demons away, moving towards the Suzaku capital. His name was Tekken and at his side was his first son, Tekki.

The Bobcat Demon clan had answered the call for help from Suzaku. The villagers shouted their thanks to the Demons as they passed and flowers were thrown at their feet. The village was left with the task of burying the dead soldiers, but it was a small price in return for their lives.

Tekken arrived several hours later at the capital of Suzaku, when the combined armies of Seiryuu and Genbu were scant hours away from the palace gates. His Demons were now on the walls, side by side with the palace guards, but even their power would be too little against the vast Seiryuu army. Hiten had arrived with Souten a little before Tekken's arrival and Souten was taken to Vara's room. Mitsukake did what he could for the young Demon. At least the bleeding had stopped and he was sleeping soundly. Hiten left his side to be with Vara. If the palace fell, and it was now certain that it would, Hiten would take both her and his son high into the air and flee to Otherworld. He silently vowed that he would not let them die here. But until that time, there was nothing to do but wait for the army to arrive at the gates.

Vara had decided that when the army reached the gates, she would to go to the gates herself. She would send her power through, fear, terror, whatever emotion she could manage. She knew it would not do much against so many, but at least she would be helping and not just standing here helpless.

In the dungeons of Seiryuu, another son of Tekken languished in a dark cell. He could hear the guards talking and knew that Suzaku was under attack and that the odds were impossible for them. Tasuki stood there in the dark, furious over his helplessness. If he were free, at least he could do something. But to be trapped here - completely useless! "Please give me the power to help!" he shouted to the invisible gods, tears of frustration in his eyes. Suddenly he felt a slight burning on his forehead, then his neck, chest, shoulder, one by one, seven parts of his body began to grow hot, in the exact same places where the seven runes were manifested on the bodies of the Celestial Seven. He looked down and he could see the runes burning bright red in the darkness. Before his eyes, his body began to glow, then rays of light began to stream from his body. He could feel immense power beginning to surge through him, and when he stretched out his arms, but they were no longer arms, but streams of pure energy.

He flew toward the roof of his prison and went right through it, unfettered by a human body. With a shriek of freedom, he went higher and higher, until he was high in the sky and the Palace of Seiryuu was far below. He turned and flew directly to Suzaku. The army was at the gate and Vara kept her promise and stood on the top rampart, pouring as much power as she could toward the soldiers. Wave after wave of soldiers came and floundered, unable to pass through the wall of terror that she was creating. This was the first time any of the Princesses had ever used their power against an enemy, and no one had expected Vara to be so effective. The weakest point of the palace, its gate, was now the strongest. Giving up on the gate, soldiers began to use ladders to climb up the walls only to be met by the claws and fangs of deadly Bobcat Demons. And high in the sky, a Thunder Demon rode the winds and bolt after bolt of lightning tore through the soldiers, killing hundreds. Eventually the palace would fall, simply because of the sheer numbers against it, but it would not be as easy as Naraku had thought.

Hours passed and Hiten had come down to land next to the Princess. They were both tired and Hiten was starving. He needed food to rebuilt his power. Servants braved the open courtyard and brought heaping plates of food to all. At least they would not starve to death. The palace had plenty of food. The people around the city had come into the palace walls and brought everything they could. Herds of cattle, goats, sheep trampled the beautiful gardens, scores of chickens roosted on the palace balconies and hundreds of people camped in the courtyards.

Suddenly people stood up and started to shout, pointing to the sky. Vara and Hiten looked up and saw a speck of red and gold, rapidly approaching. What had been just a speck quickly took form, sprouting wings of fire. The Red Phoenix! But the Celestial Seven were incomplete, how was it summoned? It passed over their heads and each one felt its power and its protection. Vara smiled and whispered one word, "Tasuki." Hiten looked at her in surprise. Did she mean that Tasuki had called the Phoenix?

Tasuki flew over the palace, sending feelings of love and comfort to the people of Suzaku, his people. After completing the circle over them, he went to the enemy. The archers filled the air with arrows but they burned up long before they reached him. He screamed and fire poured out of his mouth, destroying everything in its path. Over and over he flew, setting the Seiryuu armies aflame. The remaining soldiers began to flee, heading for Genbu, praying that the Red Phoenix would not follow after them.

When the dawn broke, the land was empty. The army had either fled or was in ashes. The gates of the palace opened and the people made their way home. Tekken sent out his Bobcats to follow the army and make sure they crossed over into Genbu without harming anyone. Just before the dawn, Tasuki flew over the Princess and spoke to her, "Call me and I will come to protect. Call on the Red Phoenix for Tasuki is no more. I will give you the one rune that will call me to your side." A red rune appeared on her forehead and then the Red Phoenix flew straight up in the sky and disappeared.


	20. Chapter 20: fight to the death

**Chapter 20 - Fight to the Death**

What Raizen didn't realize was that the number of Demons in the Cat clan was nearly four times the Demons attacking him. The bulk of the Cat Demon clan were mounting an attack on Xuho, the Wind Demon who was protecting the Western Lands of Sesshomaru. Mukuro had promised them the Western Lands if they could take it. The Cat Demons and the Dog Demons had long been enemies and Sesshomaru's father had killed their clan leader in the last battle between the two clans. The time was ripe for the conquest of the Western Lands. Xuho did not have the power to repel so many Demons. Both she and her son, Jin, were hovering high above the Western Lands. Everywhere they looked, there seemed to be Cat Demons. While they were in the air, they were safe from their attacks, but they were also not stopping the land from being overrun. They had both sent tornados racing through their ranks, tossing Demons right and left as the twisters cut a swath through them, but there were just so many of them!

There were so few Wind Demons. Xuho only had about a dozen Demons with her. There were very few left in her own lands. Hers was one of the smaller clans, only the Battle Demons was smaller, there were only two Battle Demons living. When she had been sent to protect the Western Lands, she expected one-on-one confrontations, as they usually were, and certainly did not expect nor was she prepared for a full out war. Jin flew down, going over the heads of the Cats at nearly super-sonic speed. His backwash alone knocked dozens off their feet, killing many by the sheer force of his winds. But it was only a small break in the flood. There was no way that she would be able to hold the Western Lands.

Meanwhile Raizen and Yusuke were tearing apart the Bear Clan. Even though the Bears were enormous, standing over 30 feet tall, they were no match for the red-hot fury of the Battle Demons. Father and son were literally dismembering the clan, piece by piece. This was the first time that Yusuke had been able to go all out, using his violent nature to its fullest. His hair had turned from brown to pure white, like his father's, and a terrible gleam of joy was in his eyes as he killed Demon after Demon. Keiko would be terrified of her mate if she ever saw him in his pure Battle Demon form!

On the other side of Raizen's keep, Touya and Toyna fought together against the Moth Clan. Their acid silk had proved too much for the Fox clan's plants. The plants were now smoking ruins. It was a hard battle and all had numerous acid burns on their body.

The Moths flew high in the air on wings with a span of nearly fifty feet across and rained acid silk down on them. The entire area around them was frozen solid, as both of the Ice Demons sought to bring down the Moths. The Foxes had switched to their furry fox form to withstand the terrible cold. Several Moths had already fallen, their wings covered with ice and no longer able to keep themselves aloft. Once on the ground, the Foxes dispatched them easily. The remaining Moths were high in the air, keeping out of range of both the ice and the plants, and spread their acid silk over the icy land.

In the Western Lands, the Cats had attached ropes to arrows and had brought down Xuho. Jin had rushed to her side, but he was only one Demon against hundreds. But he vowed not leave his mother's side. He would die protecting his mother.

In Otherworld, on the hills above the Castle, Kurama's sentry plants called out the alarm and from their towers, Suzuki and Kaiba could see the hoard approaching. It was so large that it darkened the sky. Hiei stood at the Castle gate along with the guards. His sword was drawn and ready. His most powerful weapon, the Dragon of Darkness Flame, would be used only as a last resort since it weakened him so much. Kenru suddenly joined him, her sword drawn also. Kiri was not allowed to join them since his presence had to be kept a secret, especially from the Demons. So he went to the North Tower and tried to help Suzuki strengthen the barriers. Unicorn magic would not help with battles; it was a gentle, loving power and completely useless in battle. He could transform and use his horn, but then his secret would be out, and the number of Demons would still overpower him.

As the Demon hoard reached the hills, all the sentry plants cried out their alarm, their shrill sound echoing through the valley. Huge carnivorous plants snatched Demons out of the sky, swallowing them whole or piercing them with hollow thorns that sucked them dry. But the plants barely made a dent in the number of Demons. There were well over a thousand of them!

When they reached the gates, Hulfa transformed in to his bear shape and waded into them, huge claws tearing the Demons apart. Hiei and Kenru went to the work with their swords. Dozens of Demons tried to break Bakura's barrier that surrounded the Castle and died in streams of blue crackling energy. Bodies began to pile up around the Castle walls and Kurama created plants to devour the bodies, keeping the courtyard between the gate wall and the Castle clear.

Kaleffe created a wall of fire along the gate, and engulfed hundreds of Demons in the searing flames. In a short time, over half of the Demons were dead. This was going to be easier that they expected. Suddenly Hulfa screamed in pain and terrible gashes appeared on his huge body, spraying blood everywhere. Unable to hold his form, he shrank down to human size, surrounded by Demons and very vulnerable. Both Hiei and Kaleffe ran to help him, both receiving deep wounds from unseen claws. They managed to get Hulfa into the Castle but they could not see what had caused the wounds. Hulfa was badly hurt and needed attention now. They threw him bodily in the door, letting him slide across the stone floor, and slammed the door closed. Everyone was now surrounding the main door. Hiei was bleeding from three or four deep slashes and Kaleffe was almost as bad. Half of the guards were dead. The smoke from the fire obscured their view and they heard the gate screech as it was torn off its hinges. Two hazy figures stepped out from the smoke and then the haze cleared. Before them stood Ralf and Tyrrl, the Blood Demons.

Hiei sighed, he was too hurt and too tired to safely summon his Dragon of the Darkness Flame, and even if he could have, he could probably only take out one of the Blood Demons. None of them had the power to stop two Blood Demons. In the distance the wolves were howling, warning of the approaching Demons. Soon the hills were alive with their howls. Kouga, Kome, Miroku and Sango were on the nearest hill, watching them coming closer and closer. The sentry wolves left their watch posts and ran to the Village to stand in front of it with Ginta, Hakkaku and the rest of the wolf Demons. This was their home also and they were prepared to defend it to the death. Ayala joined them.

Miroku searched the Demons, trying to see if the poisonous insects had joined up with them. He couldn't see any, but that might mean that they were hiding in the back. He didn't have a choice...there were just too many Demons. He took the prayer beads off his right hand, the beads that kept his void sealed and held out his hand.

Instantly the Demons were sucked into the black hole in his hand. Hundreds went into oblivion with ease, and then he saw them. Hundreds of insects hiding behind the Demons! Before he could shut the void, they poured into his hand, stinging him as they entered. Miroku fell to his knees, the poison already fast at work. Their most powerful fighter was now incapacitated. Kouga threw him over Kirara's back and Sango flew him to safety through the Demons, her huge boomerang cutting a path through them. She took him to Kaede and Mirago and then returned to the battle, with Kagome joining her.

Kouga and his son were going through the Demons like whirlwinds, tearing them apart. They were going too fast for the poisonous insects to sting them. The insects grouped together, giving up on the wolves, and went straight for the dojo. A wall of blue swirling mist engulfed over half of them, killing them instantly. The rest fled back to join the Demons. Shippo's foxfire had indeed improved!

Ginta, Ayala, and the other Wolf Demons and true wolves were fighting against the main body of Demons. It was hard to tell which side was winning since both sides were bleeding badly.

Kenshin and Sanosuke were outside the dojo walls fighting a splinter group of about two hundred Demons. Shippo again used his foxfire, but this time to surround the building where Kaede and the others were located. Kirara soon joined them. There were just too many Demons in the sky for her to be able to remain aloft. Slowly they were being pushed back. Ginta and the wolves retreated, joining them in front of the dojo. Kouga and Kome suddenly noticed the peril that their wolves and their friends were in and rushed to help, but they were stopped by razor-sharp blades of wind. Standing about fifty feet from them was Kagura. Kouga growled when he saw the Demon who had almost killed him.

The poison insects reappeared, and hovered around her. Before Kouga could stop him, Kome raced to the wind Demon and collided painfully with a solid wall of wind, knocking the breath from him. Instantly the insects started for him, but Kouga plucked his son up mere seconds before they reached him. Kagura sent dozens of wind shears after him, then added small tornadoes to the mix. Kouga did not return to the Village, he went to the south instead, leading her away from the Village. He heard Kome's voice in his ear telling him to put him down, that he was okay. Kouga set the wolf on his feet and together they raced, barely keeping ahead of Kagura and her wind.


	21. Chapter 21: The tide turns

**Chapter 21 - The Tide Turns**

Just as death was reaching out a hand to claim Jin and Xuho, fate stepped in. The Cats suddenly were torn to pieces by unseen hands and they either fell dead or ran screaming. When the last Cat had disappeared, Shido and several of his Blood Demons materialized. They had moved so fast that they had been invisible. Shido told the Wind Demons to go to Raizen's side. He would protect the Western Lands and the rest of his men had gone after the fleeing Cats. None would live out the day.

Jin and Xuho took off, going as fast as possible. Traveling at super-sonic speed, they reached the keep in a very short time. Ahead of them were the Moth Demons, still raining death on the two Ice Demons and the Foxes. The Wind Demons sent hurricane force winds toward the Moths, tearing their thin wings to bits. They plummeted to the ground, where they were easily dispatched. Jin and Xuho landed and told Touya and Toyna about the Blood Demons' rescue and Shido's promise to protect the Western Lands. Just as they were going to look for Raizen and Yusuke, the pair arrived, covered in blood, but none of it was their own. The Bear Clan was destroyed. The Cats were fleeing from the Blood Demons and would soon be dead. The foxes were finishing the last of the lesser Demons and the Snakes. They had won! The lands were safe once more. Mukuro was defeated and would soon send an emissary to sue for peace.

A finger twitched, eyelashes fluttered, and then golden eyes opened. He sat up, feeling light-headed and weak. He struggled to his feet and went to the balcony. Smoke was all around the Castle and hundreds of Demons circled, trying to break the barrier. What was happening? He spent no time on useless questions, just quickly dressed and picked up his Demon sword. Kaiba looked up in surprise from the hall where he was treating the wounds of Hulfa. Without a word, the Dog Lord opened the front door and stepped outside.

"Glad to see you," muttered the little Fire Demon. Hiei was bleeding from numerous cuts. Sesshomaru nodded and then saw what they were facing: two Blood Demons. He moved like lightning, while his sword sent out waves of energy. Tyrrl moved one way and Ralf the other, trying to get the Dog Demon in between them. All three were moving so fast, that they were invisible to the eye."Get inside!" Sesshomaru yelled to the group, and Hiei instantly obeyed, pushing everyone inside. Once they were safely inside, Sesshomaru changed, turning into his Demon Dog form. Where once was an elegant man, now stood a snarling vicious dog that was nearly 20 feet tall. Greenish saliva dripped from his fangs and a putrid mist began to rise.

Ralf moved in for the kill and faltered, then collapsed into the mist. He was dead in moments, for the poison from Sesshomaru's fangs was the most deadly known. Tyrrl kept his distance, backing away from the dripping poison as Sesshomaru advanced on him. Keeping his eyes on the Dog Demon, trying to find an opening, he moved right into the snare of a blood plant. Three huge thorns pierced him and began to pump out his blood. He died screaming.

Sesshomaru went after the rest of the Demons. Most of them had already died from the deadly mist; the few that remained fled, most of them to be caught by Kurama's plants that still stood on the hills surrounding the Castle. Sesshomaru returned to his human form and dissipated the poison. In a few minutes, both the mist and the poison had vanished.

Sesshomaru returned to the Castle and was meet by the Princess who rushed to him, hugging him. "Thank the gods you are awake! And thanks to you the Castle is safe! But how did you wake up? Whom are you bound to?"

Sesshomaru sat on the steps, suddenly tired, "First tell me what happened."

Kurama quickly filled him in, telling him of Naraku's escape and Ashara's betrayal, of Bankotsu's death, and of the war in Suzaku. Sesshomaru listened in silence and then spoke in his soft, cultured voice, "I had a strange dream. I dreamt of a bird of fire that was Tasuki but at the same time, it wasn't him. His power burnt away my bindings and freed me. I am bound neither to you, Princess, nor your daughter. I am free."

"Good! I wanted to free you and messed everything up by calling you to me. I am so sorry for that."

"It was not your fault. I was obeying Ashara's call, and then I felt the need to go to you. If you hadn't called me, I would have gone to her and fallen into Naraku's trap."

Kaiba and Rin were busy bandaging the wounded. Hulfa was the worst, but he had already stopped bleeding. Kaleffe and Hiei had bad cuts but nothing that they couldn't heal. Kiri walked outside and looked sadly at the scorched earth. The Princess' beautiful gardens were gone. Kurama had followed him and smiled. He scattered seeds to the wind, then touched the ground and the soil moved, new plants springing to life. A new cherry tree replaced the old one. Kiri followed suit and brought forth his Unicorn magic. The air cleared, soft breezes carrying away the smoky haze. The scorch marks on the walls and door disappeared. Suzuki came out after them and went to the twisted gate that was lying on the road. He bent to touch it and it moved with unseen hands, straightening out and lifting itself to its hinges. The Castle soon looked as if a battle had never been fought.

Kouga whispered instructions to his son and Kome took off in the direction of the wind Demon. Just as he got close to Kagura, he veered off and she followed him. He kept only a short distance between them and now the edges of the wind shears were reaching their mark. His arms and legs were covered in cuts, but, although painful, they were not life threatening. But they slowed him down. The young wolf stopped, bent over, his hands braced on his legs, panting. Kagura smiled, this one would die here! She raised her hand to create the wind that would end his life, but her hand never followed through. Kouga flew through the air using a nearby hill as a launching pad and tore her open. Kome had followed his father's instructions, leaving himself open. Kouga knew that Kagura would be unable to resist easy prey and would let her guard down when she moved in for the kill. His plan had worked and now the Wind Demon lay dead.

Kouga told his son to rest while he returned to the Village but Kome shook his head. Together they raced to the Village. They were making a last stand in front of the dojo. As he approached the Village, Kouga saw his mate nearly covered in blood and went insane with rage. He tore into the Demons and ripped them apart as he passed. Kome did the same when he saw Ayala and her many wounds. The two wolves broke the Demon's advance and Kenshin and Sanosuke moved quickly to take advantage. Flames licked the blade of Kenshin's sword and it drank the blood of many a Demon. Sango and Kagome returned to Kirara's back and attacked from the sky. Shippo's foxfire found the insects again and again. Soon it was over. The Village was saved!

Kouga walked to his mate and was overjoyed to find that none of the blood was hers. She had been standing too close to a Demon that Kenshin had hacked to pieces. Ayala was not badly hurt, and all her cuts were minor. Kome's cuts were twice as bad and Kaede forced him to bed and bandaged the wolf up. When she finished, Kome was nearly covered in bandages. Kenshin, Sango and Sanosuke all had minor cuts and scrapes and a few bandages were all they needed. Miroku was the worst, badly poisoned, but Kaede had given him an antidote in time and he would be sick and weak for a few days, but he would live.

The Demon World, the Castle and the Village had won their battles, but if Naraku won, their battles would be for naught. These little skirmishes were nothing in the grand scheme of things. Tasuki had turned into the Red Phoenix and saved Suzaku, but the Black Dragon could easily destroy the entire country. And even the Red Phoenix was no match for a Great Dragon. As long as Naraku was alive, he would continue to plot and scheme against Otherworld and one day he would succeed.

Everything now depended on five beings: one half-Demon Dog named InuYasha, one untried mage named Bakura, a wounded Unicorn named Keiki, a Red Dragon named Kyo, and a man named Vash.

The real battle was about to begin.


	22. Chapter 22: The final battle

**Chapter 22 - The Final Battle**

Bakura had opened the portal about a half day from Seiryuu's palace, to the north were there was less likelihood of running into troops. For hours they had scrambled up and down broken rocks and steep hills. InuYasha carried Keiki on his back, without complaint, which was unusual for the usually blunt Dog Demon. He never once said that Keiki was useless, although he thought it. What good was a Unicorn that couldn't transform? But he remained silent. Vash carried Keiki's crutches, strapping them across his back.

Finally, the palace appeared before them. They were at the back of a 20-foot high wall that enclosed the entire complex. The city stretched out from the palace to the front and sides, but the land in back of the palace was mountainous and therefore, had no buildings. It was by mere chance that the group ended up at the back gate. They could see no guards. Walking up to the gate cautiously, Bakura felt the gate for spells but there were none. InuYasha tore the gate off its hinges with one slash of his claws.

Vash was carrying Keiki now, since InuYasha would be needed to handle any guards they might encounter. Keiki was beginning to regret coming; he did not expect to have such a long journey or be such a burden. He had come only because he had a strong feeling that he would be needed, but now he wondered if he had been mistaken. The group walked through the back gate unhindered. The palace was unguarded and only silence greeted them. Where was everyone? What the group didn't realize was that the guards and soldiers had fled in terror after they saw the Red Phoenix rising out of the palace. Naraku had been so surprised that he lost control of the chameleon Demon and it transformed from Emperor Balago to a low-class Demon in front of the shocked advisors and ministers. They walked out of the city in fury at being deceived. In a very short time, the entire city, already nearly deserted because of the movement of soldiers, was completely emptied. Only Naraku, Jodah, Ashara, Lido, Malik and Rhu were left in the entire city.

The Otherworld group walked into the palace, their footsteps echoing through the empty halls. When they reached the throne room, they saw Naraku sitting on the throne. Ashara stood by his side. "It was a perfect plan," he said to them. "A perfect plan. I was going make Ashara a queen."

"You ruined it!" She shrieked at them, her eyes wild. "You ruined everything."

"Where are Lido and Malik?" Bakura asked.

"Let them go free. They are no use to us now." Naraku pointed to the far wall. Lido sat there cowering. InuYasha rushed to her side and carried her to the group.

"And Malik?"

"Malik is busy. Jodah is teaching him obedience."

InuYasha growled and started to advance. He had never met Malik but the boy had saved Shido's son at the cost of his own freedom. He had vowed that he would bring the boy to safety.

"That's far enough!" Came a voice, echoing off the walls. The entire room filled with a sensation of immense power and Bakura instantly put up a shield. Jodah walked into the room, two males behind him. One was a tall man had long black hair and strange yellow eyes: Rhu, the Black Dragon. The other was a teenage boy, white hair matted and tangled, with dark circles were under large violet eyes in a pale face. His thin body was covered in bruises and bloody welts. He had been whipped and beaten. Malik!

InuYasha went insane with anger and leapt on the mage. He hit an invisible barrier and was thrown back, screaming in pain and anger. Naraku stood up. "Your fight is with me!"

Naraku began to transform, growing bony spikes from his body. So this was his new form! InuYasha recovered quickly and leapt on the Demon before he could finish his transformation, pulling out his sword. Waves of power poured from the sword directly at Naraku, hurling the Demon against the far wall. Before he could attack again, Jodah sent a bolt of pure energy toward the dog Demon. Bakura deflected it with one of his own. Vash set Keiki down next to Lido and attempted to reach his daughter. If he could only take her from Naraku, perhaps he could reason with her.

Naraku was back on his feet and his spikes lengthened and skewered InuYasha before he could attack again. The Dog Demon howled in pain! He slashed at the spike with his sword, severing it and dropped to the ground, bleeding. The spike recoiled and then reformed as good as new. While InuYasha and Naraku battled, Vash reached Ashara unhindered. He pulled her to him, but she fought him like a wild thing, clawing and screeching in fury. "Leave me alone! I don't want to go back. I hate you!" She screamed at him and he flinched at her words. Had she always been like this? Or was this Naraku's influence. He didn't want to admit it even to himself, but he knew deep inside that this had nothing to do with Naraku. Like his brother, Ashara was fatally flawed. She had no compassion for anyone but herself.

When InuYasha fell, Naraku sent spikes in Vash's direction. The man in red moved like lightning without appearing to be moving at all and none of the spikes hit their mark. Jodah suddenly aimed a energy bolt at the wall above him, burying Vash in rubble.

Jodah nodded at Rhu and the Dragon began to transform, filling the room as he gathered mass. His limbs lengthened and he grew long claws, and huge black wings and scales formed. Wisps of smoke came from his nostrils as he banked the fires inside his body. He grew so large that the wall behind Jodah pulverized. With a scream, the Black Dragon went airborne, tearing the roof off as he flew through it, raining destruction down on them. The mages shielded themselves and their people from the falling debris.

"You think you have won? Well, see if your precious Red Phoenix can defeat a Great Dragon! He is on his way to Suzaku to destroy it. Our plans are not destroyed yet!" Jodah cried triumphantly.

Then a quiet voice said, "You are wrong. It will not be the Red Phoenix that Rhu fights, but me." Then Kyo began to transform in his Red Dragon form. His limbs lengthened and red scales formed, huge red wings opened and Kyo flew after the Black Dragon.

"NO!" screamed Jodah.

"Get to safety." Bakura told Keiki and the Unicorn moved to the exit with Lido at his side. Jodah and Naraku let them go; they were useless and would be dealt with at their leisure, after they dispatched the Hanyou Dog Demon and the blue Demon Mage.

InuYasha brandished his sword once more, calling on its Demon power, and faced off against Naraku. Even if he died trying, he would kill this miserable excuse for a being! On the other side of the room, Bakura and Jodah faced off, and sizzling energy bolts hit each other's shields. But cracks were begin to appear in Bakura's shield. Jodah was the stronger of the two mages and was prevailing.

Keiki and Lido made it outside and looked up. In the sky, a terrible battle was being fought, the likes of which had not been seen for ages. Two Great Dragons were tearing at each other, tooth and claw combined with deadly flame. It was a fight to the death, for neither of them would surrender. There was a world at stake.

Inside the palace, Naraku's spikes struck at InuYasha, missing him by a hair's breadth. InuYasha could see that Bakura was losing to the other mage, his shield barely holding against the onslaught. But he couldn't get close enough to Jodah to do anything; Naraku had him pinned down. But Jodah had forgotten the one person who was standing near his unprotected back. Malik pulled a sword from the rubble, one that had been on the wall as decoration, and plunged the sword into the mage. Jodah screamed in pain and surprise but unfortunately Malik's aim was poor and he did not hit anything vital. Jodah recovered quickly and an energy bolt slammed into the boy, killing him instantly, but Malik did not die in vain; that instant was all Bakura needed. Jodah had dropped his shield when he was attacked and the blue mage slammed pure, raw energy poured directly at Jodah. Jodah hurled a final bolt at Bakura in return. Brilliant light covered the entire room when the bolts met, blinding everyone. Naraku recovered first and took advantage of InuYasha's inability to see. Another spike went completely through the Dog, tearing him open, almost disemboweling the young Demon. The spike withdrew and InuYasha sank to the ground, his life's blood pouring out.

When the light returned to normal, Bakura was down, smoke coming from his burned body, and Jodah was gone; only scorch marks showed where he had stood. Outside, things were not going well for Kyo. The Black Dragon was larger and fiercer. Kyo spit fire on the dragon over and over, but it didn't seem to be enough. Without warning, Rhu caught him, sinking foot-long fangs through the armor plating of Kyo's chest. With a cry, Kyo fell from the sky, changing to a man as he fell. Rhu, still in dragon form, landed next to him. Kyo was helpless, bleeding profusely and unable to get away from the certain death of the Black Dragon's jaws. In his human form, he didn't have a chance.

Naraku laughed when he saw the dead and dying Protectors of Otherworld; finally he had won! He took Ashara by the hand and went to Rhu's cave. Several hundred Demons waited for him there, left over from his transformation. He would start again, he would never be defeated!

Vash stirred in the rubble and sat up, his coat still smoking from Jodah's energy blast. He got to his feet carefully and saw InuYasha and Bakura. He rushed to them and threw one over each shoulder, then ran to the exit, not sure if either of them were still alive.

Once outside, Vash placed InuYasha and Bakura on the ground, checking to see if they still lived. Both had very faint pulses. Standing up, he looked around and about 500 feet from him, stood the Black Dragon. He was advancing on a man..on Kyo! Before Vash could do anything, a blaze of golden light appeared at Rhu's side. When the brilliant light dissipated, there stood a Unicorn, dragging a broken back leg. Keiki lunged at the Black Dragon and his golden horn went through the armored hide as it were made of butter, piercing the huge heart. Rhu screamed in agony and rage. Then he turned to face his slayer.

As the Black Dragon died, he flamed one last time and Keiki was consumed by the Dragon's fiery breath. Keiki had only a second of life, but that second turned into an eternity. Pain disappeared and his beloved Kalire materialized before him, beckoning him. He moved to her, leaving his broken shell of a body behind and together their spirits soared, finding the peace that had always eluded them in life. As Keiki left this world, Lido felt a feeling of pure love surround her. It was love in its purest form, no holding back just a total giving of one's self. She wept from the joy of it.

Vash went to Kyo and picked him up gently, carrying him to where the others lay. Kyo's blood poured out of his torn body like a red river. If he didn't get help soon, he would die. And so would InuYasha and Bakura. The ground around them was soaked red. Vash felt a displacement in the air and suddenly Chichiri appeared. He quickly assessed the situation and ran to the Demons and stood in the middle, calling Lido and Vash to his side. "I can teleport you all to Suzaku. Mitsukake can help heal them." Lido went to his side, but Vash remained where he was. "I am staying. I have to stop Naraku."

"How can you stop him? You are only a man, all of the Demons that have gone against him are either dead or wounded."

Vash looked at the monk, and then said sadly, "I am the only one left."

With that, he turned and walked in the direction that Naraku and Ashara had fled. Chichiri shook his head sadly and teleported Lido and the three wounded Demons to Suzaku.

Vash soon found the cave and heard voices coming from inside. Naraku was there and so was his daughter. Vash drew out his silver gun; he didn't want to do this! He had only wanted peace his entire life and for a while he thought he had found it. Now it had come to this! Brushing away bitter tears, he stood up and walked into the cave. Naraku was there, Ashara by his side and about three hundred Demons behind him. As Vash approached, Naraku turned and looked at the tall man in red. "Are you all that's left?"

"I am enough. Your evil ends now." Vash lifted his silver gun and Naraku started to laugh.

"A gun does nothing to a Demon! Didn't they tell you that?"

"This one will." Vash said solemnly, then pulled off the gun's silver top, triggering its transformation.

The gun morphed, became one with his arm, and the red coat tore as his arm changed. A ball of pure energy began to grow inside what had been the chamber of the gun and his arm lengthened to form projections resembling feathers made of flesh on his right shoulder. His arm and gun combined to turn into the Angel Arm. The energy grew and grew, and Naraku tried to run but there was no place to hide. Vash was at the entrance; standing between him and freedom. The Demons screamed and clawed, desperately trying to get away from the terror that was the human's arm.

Ashara begged, "Let me go free. Please let me live."

Vash shook his head sadly, "You have chosen your own path and now must pay for it. You were born a protector and you turned against the people who needed your protection the most. I cannot save you. Just like I couldn't save my brother, Knives. I understand that now. I'm sorry."

Then the ball of energy expanded, filling the cave, destroying the mountain, and then expanded even further, engulfing the palace and the city; obliterating the bodies of the Black Dragon and Malik. Everything in a ten mile radius disappeared, consumed by the white heat of Vash's power. Naraku died in seconds, as did Ashara. The Demons came next. Finally, it was Vash's turn as the mountain covered him in darkness. Vash's last thought was of his mate, "Thank you for your love, Aara," and then he died in a flash of white light.


	23. Chapter 23: Aftermath

**Chapter 23 - Aftermath**

Aara was sitting on her balcony, in the cool night, staring up at the sky. Her heart hurt so much she didn't think she could bear it. She had felt InuYasha's pain and Bakura's agony, but when she felt Vash die, her world stopped. Everything around her moved in slow motion and suddenly the world went black. Hiei had rushed to her side as she fainted, catching her before she reached the floor. Kaiba brought her around but she said nothing, unable to voice her pain, just went to her balcony, asking to be left alone.

How would she be able to go on? If InuYasha and Bakura died too, there was no way she could continue. She felt a cavern of emptiness inside. Suddenly she felt someone else on the balcony and turned angrily to see who had disturbed her, but there was no one there. She shook her head and turned again to the sky. Again! There it was again! All at once she felt her arms begin to prickle like she was being caressed with tiny touches of energy. And she knew in that instant that it was Vash. She could feel him all around her. She closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around herself, holding the feeling tight. "Vash," she whispered, and wings of love surrounded her, healing her. Aara didn't hear him but she knew what he said all the same, "I will wait for you and when your time comes, I will be with you." And then he left, but she no longer felt the emptiness for she now knew that he would always be there, waiting for her.

After Vash visited his beloved mate, his soul mate, he returned to the stars. The entire universe surrounded him and he could feel its connection. At the same time that he was his own unique entity, he was also connected to every other living thing. And every thing was equal; no one was more than the other, each had their own set of experiences and lifetimes, and each contributed to the whole. Vash remembered all of his lives, every mistake, every triumph, every joy, and every sorrow. They were a rich tapestry that made up the entity that he was and made him unique. There was no good or bad, only experiences. It was his choice to stay in the ether as a spirit guide or return to a new life. He decided to stay in the ether until Aara joined him.

At his side where two other entities, both without form and substance, but he knew them: Ashara and Naraku. They too had the same choice as he did. He could sense their thoughts and knew the future that they had chosen. Naraku would be reborn, in the Human World, and dedicate his life to helping others, bringing his karmic scales back into balance. Ashara would go to another planet, one filled with despair, a planet in desperate need of a protector, and she would become the one voice to give them hope. Ashara looked down at the planet and felt the pain of its people. She nodded and disappeared, becoming corporeal again, this time to do her task as she was always meant to. Vash smiled and promised to help her; he would become her spirit guide and she could call on him whenever she needed his counsel.

The people of Suzaku asked Vara to be their Queen and she accepted. In the months that followed the Three Worlds War, the lands of the Four Gods World became one land and its people lived in peace under their new Queen. Kyo stayed in Suzaku and began his long recovery, under Vara's watchful eye. Toyna and Souten came to live with their Princess and Suzuki joined her also, becoming her mage. Chichiri became her closest advisor and confidante and her best friend. Tekken and his Bobcat Demons also decided to live in Suzaku and they became the first Protectors of Suzaku, much like Kouga and his wolves were the Protectors of Otherworld.

Shido returned to the Southern Lands, Sesshomaru returned to rule the Western Lands, and Muruko begged for peace. No one wanted her lands, so the three rulers signed a peace treaty with her, with Raizen promising to keep a close watch on her. InuYasha and Bakura were back in the Castle, under the care of Kaiba. Both were sleeping with the help of Kurama's plants. Theirs would also be a long recovery, especially for Bakura, since his injuries were magic created.

Like Aara, Rin felt only emptiness when she learned of Keiki's death. How she found hope is a story on its own and not for these pages. As the months passed, Otherworld began to heal itself.

In Kaede's Village, there were two births, only a week apart. Mirago gave birth to a little girl, whom she named Tala. Shippo remained at her side and asked for her hand, wanting to share her life. She did not say yes, but then again, she did not say no. Only time would tell if he would win her heart.

A week later, Serafin gave birth to her second son. As it had with Souten, the birthing tub made the delivery easier, and after the birth, Hiten picked up his beloved mate and carried her to a warm bed. Then he went to see his new son, whom they had decided to name Aniki. Kaede put the baby into Hiten's arms, swaddled in blankets. Hiten lifted the corner of the blanket and looked down at his new son and smiled. Dark blue eyes stared back, filled with knowledge, and a purple cross marked his forehead. "Hello, Bankotsu. Welcome back to Otherworld."

A/N: Enjoy the companion stories "The Black Unicorn" ~ "Kome & Ayala" ~ "The Long Night"  
and then in "Vara & The Red Dragon" and "Jodah's Revenge" (which are rated MA)


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